Prisons in crisis: Inmate reveals brutal gang attack at HMP Featherstone

'I genuinely fear for his safety. Prisoners are still humans and have rights'.

These are the words of a worried girlfriend whose partner suffered two black eyes and a broken hand when attacked by other inmates. She gives an insight into the life of a prisoner inside one of Britain's jails.

The inmate, known only as Ray to protect his identity as he is still a serving prisoner, gave the Express & Star the inside track, through his partner on the outside, of his life behind bars.

• MORE: Meet the officers in fear for their lives every day

The most shocking revelation to come from Ray, who is currently in HMP Featherstone after stints in Dovegate in Uttoxeter and Winson Green in Birmingham, was that he was ganged up on by a number of inmates back in May and beaten black and blue.

The inmate, who was jailed for wounding with intent, suffered two black eyes and a broken hand.

His partner said: "He was attacked by 10 inmates and felt he could not do anything to protect himself as he feared he would then have consequences to answer to.

"The governor rang me up and said he had been taken to hospital. When I got there he had two black eyes and a broken hand. He even had to end up having a head scan. I am a worried girlfriend and genuinely fear for his safety. Prisoners are still humans and have rights."

The claims are consistent with the trend that has made grim reading in this newspaper this week – violence in prisons is spiralling out of control. In the last nine years prisoner on prisoner assaults have increased by 50 per cent, from 10,778 incidents in the year ending March 2007 to 16,194 in the year ending March 2016.

Serious prisoner on prisoner assaults have more than doubled in the same period, going from 1,131 in the year ending March 2007 to 2,285 in the year ending March 2016.

Put simply, according to the figures, nearly one in five prisoners are assaulted.

The Ministry of Justice, who oversee all of the UK's prisons, has admitted that the levels of violence 'must be tackled'. A spokesman said on Monday: "Safety in prisons is fundamental to the proper functioning of our justice system and a vital part of our reform plans. There are a number of factors including the availability of psychoactive substances and levels of violence in prisons which must be tackled.

"It will take time to address these long-standing problems but the Justice Secretary is determined to make sure our prisons are safe and places of rehabilitation."

But it was not just the violence that Ray's partner is upset about, she also said that he was not getting the support he needed from the authorities. He was sentenced to two years seven months in 2002 but had a now defunct IPP order on him, meaning his release from prison had to be approved by a parole board and his sentence ran for longer.

He went back inside in 2015 for a driving offence for six weeks, before then going back in for a third time on February 7 this year after missing a visit by officials to his home.

His partner claims he is being kept in because of allegations being made which he has not been charged with, but the parole board are reluctant to sanction his release.

Of the attack she said: "There was no reason that he was aware of, it is just one of those things."

She added: "There are certain guards he can get to help him but others who won't. When he left prison no-one helped him get a house.

"His one and only priority right now is coming home and that is all he wants."

This view of a lack of support is a common one throughout the prison system. The annual report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales, released last month, highlighted these issues.

It stated that because of a 'lack of needs assessment', many prisoners were not getting access to the 'right programmes to address their offending behaviour'. This is on top of the new arrangements for release on temporary licence reducing 'opportunities for prisoners'.

The report, written by Peter Clarke and his team, helped to shed further light on the problems inmates are facing on the inside. It stated that only 14 per cent of prisoners were unlocked for the recommended 10 hours a day. This is the period recommended for prisoners to shower, collect meals, clean their cell and telephone their families, along with engaging with resettlement service providers and exercising in the open air.

On top of this the inspectorate warned that 'excessive' time locked in a cell 'often leads to deterioration in mental health'.

But in a survey undertaken by the inspectorate, only 14 per cent of prisoners said they were getting this time – six per cent in local prisons.

To make the figure worse, Mr Clarke said he and his team 'routinely found' over 30 per cent of prisoners were locked up during 'core day activity periods'.

It is a similar tale for young adults in prisons, with 38 per cent saying they spent less than two hours a day out of their cell.

With so much time locked away prisoners are turning to drugs to provide an escape – more specifically psychoactive substances.

The substances, previously known as legal highs before a nationwide ban was introduced, are 'having a dramatic and destabilising effect' according to the report.

The following passage, written by Mr Clarke, sums up the concern: "The effects of these drugs can be unpredictable and extreme. Their use can be linked to attacks on other prisoners and staff, self-inflicted deaths, serious illness and life-changing self-harm.

"The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has recently identified 39 deaths in prisons between June 2013 and June 2015 that can be linked to the use of New Psychoactive Substances. The situation has shown no signs of improvement since June 2015; quite the reverse, and tragically the death toll will rise.

"During my visits to prisons I have met prisoners who have 'self-segregated' in order to escape the violence caused by these substances, and I have talked with members of staff who have described the terrifying effects they can have on those who take them.

"We have seen how NPS-fuelled instability has restricted the ability of staff to get prisoners safely to and from education, training and other activities. The implications of this for a reform programme based on enhancing the role of education in rehabilitation should be obvious."