Express & Star

Ex-inmate reveals horrors behind bars at Featherstone Prison

"When I got out of that place I swore I'd never go back." The words of a former Featherstone Prison inmate who has spoken anonymously about his experiences.

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Robert – not his real name – was 32 years old when he was sentenced to 22 months in prison for witness intimidation in 2005.

He was transferred from HM Prison Ranby in Nottingham to HMP Featherstone during the first six months of his sentence.

"People warned me when I was in Ranby how bad it was there," he said.

"But when they tell you to go, you have to go. It was horrendous. My cell mate beat me up so badly he broke my nose, blackened my eyes.

"They said I could press charges but you're too scared because you know if you grass, you'll just get beaten up again. It'll keep happening. So I kept quiet. But then they put him back in my cell with me.

"It was really horrible. If someone had something against you, they'd take the money you'd earned at work, take your food and eat it in front of you so you'd be starving all day. But there was nothing you could do about it.

"If you'd ordered a box of cornflakes, say, for the Friday, it would just get taken from you. The only thing they couldn't take was your phone credits because they were in your name.

"I'd been a regular in prison my whole life up until then. When I got out of that place I swore I'd never go back."

A recent prison inspection revealed 'very high' levels of violence.

A prison service spokesman said: "We have a zero tolerance approach to bullying and violence in our prisons. All claims of bullying are fully investigated.

"These are long-standing issues that will not be resolved in weeks or months but our wholescale reforms will lay the groundwork to transform our prisons, reduce reoffending and make our communities safer."

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