Frankland Prison riots

---------------------------Arani Solicitors---------------------------Press Release dated 27th January 2008It has come to our attention from our clients at HMP Frankland that race riots have erupted at the prison, creating an extremely dangerous environment for ethnic minority prisoners who now fear for their safety. It is also our understanding that prison officers and staff are actively complicit in both encouraging racial abuse against ethnic minority prisoners and ignoring complaints regarding racial abuse.When evidence was previously submitted on behalf of Mr Barot in the High Court we clearly notified the court as follows:"Moreover, 99% of the staff there also remains of white origin. To date, in over ten months of being at Frankland he has only ever once come across a non-white officer. This extreme imbalance across the board ferments intolerance, racial hatred and white supremacist behaviour from a large percentage of inmates as well as some of the officers too.""At H.M.P Frankland he has been able to see, at first hand, racist graffiti on both walls and windows- namely in the segregation block. Slogans such as 'n*gger' and 'NF' are common place. Moreover, he also states that he once overheard another, black, inmate complaining to a senior officer after finding similar writing in and around the kitchen locker area. The inmate was naturally upset, asking for a reason why staff had had clearly turned a blind eye to such an extent that even blatantly racist graffiti was not expunged. The Claimants states that the point remained: if inmates are clearly able to view these outrages then naturally the officers are cognisant of it too. He feels that given this stagnant attitude on the part of staff, it only further prevented him from complaining about the taunts that he had received as he was certain either little or no action would be taken.""Frankland Prison is in the Claimant's opinion full of racist people, it is not a multiracial prison, it has the least amount of Muslim and ethnic prisoners in there, in particular on general location G and F wings."This bias is apparent in its treatment, or lack thereof, against ethnic minority inmates at all administrative levels. The staff at the prison refused Eesa Barot treatment for serious injuries for 3 days, despite nurses insisting that he should be treated immediately. When a similar incident occurred against a white inmate, he was taken to hospital for treatment immediately. This is just one example of many incidents in which ethnic minority inmates are being singled out for discriminatory treatment, and it is our contention that this is on the basis of race. It is vital that these riots are ended immediately, with full protection given to those ethnic minorities in the prison who are being subjected to racial abuse. The prison has an obligation to protect all inmates, regardless of skin colour, whilst they serve their sentences. END