More than £15 million in personal injury compensation has been claimed over the past five years by prisoners in UK jails, according to information obtained following Freedom of Information (FoI) requests.
The numbers of compensation claims instigated against the prison authorities has also been rising, the numbers of claims nearly doubling since 2005.
And according to the latest figures the number of compensation claims made by prisoners is set to escalate even more in the next few years.
Prisoners can legally make a claim for compensation. If the prison authorities fail in their duty of care to protect the welfare of prisoners the authorities are liable to receive a claim. If injury can be shown and negligence can be proved then a successful compensation outcome is likely.
The astounding information, which clearly provokes a lot of anger, especially amongst victims of crime, reveals that prisoners made a total of 5,688 compensation claims during the five year period.
Fiona McEvoy, of campaign group the TaxPayers’ Alliance, says:
“Convicted criminals are running rings around the Home Office, as many have clearly learned that this is an easy way to make a quick buck. Not scrutinising claims properly is only going to encourage these prisoners.”
The main compensation claims were for injuries suffered from slips, trips and falls; as well as claims for breaches of human rights. There were many injury claims for improper treatment whilst being addicted to drugs, with cases of prisoners not having access to medication.
Over 1,000 claims a year are now being met, almost doubling the 670 compensation claims made by criminals five years back.
And official figures now reveal the Prison Service making payouts of £15,311,631 in total – in out of court compensation settlements, since 2005.
The figure compares to a smaller compensation payout level from civil court cases of £137,577.
A total of 197 heroin addicts were identified as receiving out-of-court settlements, according to the information released via the Freedom of Information Act. Each addict received £3,807 in compensation.
“The standard of care they received fell short of acceptable medical standards,” the Ministry of Justice admitted in a statement.
There is an Opiate Dependant Prisoner Litigation group and there are believed to be at least 1,000 new claims pending which if all were settled would total an additional £3.5 million in compensation payments.
The Ministry of Justice has defended its policy of out of court compensation settlements because the alternative would be potentially much more expensive court claims.
Recently reported prisoner compensation claims in the UK media include a prisoner awarded £44,000 because he received poor dental treatment in prison.
Last 5 posts by admin
- Oil and Gas Industry Warned Over Injury Record - August 25th, 2010
- US Legal Firm Criticises BP Compensation Package - August 23rd, 2010
- Miners Fighting For Vibration White Finger Compensation - August 20th, 2010
- Drink Driving Deaths Falling In UK - August 16th, 2010
- Major Injury Compensation Payout For Haulage Worker - August 12th, 2010
