ERLESTOKE Prison Governor Steve Hodson has spoken spoke openly for the first time about a riot last weekend that left two cell blocks out of use and meant 130 prisoners had to be relocated.

He told how there had been a roof top protest on the previous Monday and a number of fights between prisoners in the lead up to Saturday’s stand-off but said there was nothing to indicate a full scale disturbance would take place.

He said that the smoking ban, which came into force at Erlestoke on May 23, had raised tensions among some prisoners but he did not think that was the main reason for the unrest.

Instead he said a shortage of staff caused by vacancies, sickness and holidays meant prisoners had to be left locked in their cells on Saturday and this had caused frustrations to rise.

He said: “It is regrettable that had to happen but we did not have enough staff to run a normal weekend regime. The cells would have been unlocked for meals only.”

Mr Hodson said there were more than the 15 officers on duty suggested by the Prison Officers Association but admitted there were not enough to allow all the cells to be unlocked.

Talking about the rooftop protest on the Monday he said the prisoners had been demanding a transfer to a different prison but he did not think it was in connection with the smoking ban.

Earlier in the week the Ministry of Justice had tried to claim that only three prisoners had been involved in the violence but Mr Hodson said once two men on one wing and another man on a separate wing had smashed their way out of their cells other prisoners became involved. He said: “Other prisoners became unhappy they were still locked up and started to damage their cells.”

He was called to the prison at about 4pm on Saturday and took control of the operation to get the situation under control.

He said: “The reason it went on for so long was that two men managed to find their way on to the roof and we had to negotiate to get them down safely.”

Trained staff from other jails were called in to help. One prisoner suffered minor injuries.

Damage to the two wings is still being assessed but he admitted it could be months before they are fully repaired and refurbished. He said: “We had to relocate quite a large number of men as they could not safely be accommodated at Erlestoke.”

He said an investigation into all aspects of the trouble would be carried out.
He said he could not comment on a claim by the Prison Officers Association that cuts to staff numbers throughout the prison service had made it less safe for officers.

He said: “We do have some vacancies and are seeking to recruit people but things like sickness also affect staffing levels.”

But Erlestoke has now returned to a normal routine and the fewer numbers meant staff were easily able to cope.

He said: “The regime is now back to normal and all of the normal activities are taking place. The prison is calm and very settled again.”