PRISONERS GIVEN £2.5M COMPENSATION

Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show the Prison Service paid £2.5 million in compensation payments to prisoners, not including legal costs, the BBC said.

It reports that two jails - Wormwood Scrubs in London and Northallerton Young Offenders' Institution in north Yorkshire - were responsible for almost half the total.

Prisoners in 94 jails were compensated over claims of abuse, assault, unlawful detention and medical negligence, according to the report.

The biggest single out-of-court payment was one for £575,000 to a male prisoner in Northallerton Young Offenders' Institution who had apparently attempted suicide, while Wormwood Scrubs settled another claim for £472,000.

Reasons for these two payments were not revealed but were included in the category of injury claims for official misconduct and human rights' breaches, the BBC said.

The figures also showed £750,000 was paid to 197 heroin addicts who had their treatment withdrawn or cut short during their time in prison.

The damages paid to the heroin addicts were approved by a High Court judge last year after their claims that the practice was an assault and breach of their human rights.