Prison gangs: ‘I've stabbed people, attacked staff, hidden drugs’

Outside the information obstruction astatine HMP Belmarsh successful south-east London, a antheral pulls up his achromatic T-shirt to amusement america his scars.

“I’ve been stabbed by gangs - look astatine this,” helium says. “And these are gunshot wounds, besides from gangs. Man, it’s brainsick - I could person died.”

A heavy enactment marks a healed chopped from conscionable nether the man’s cervix each the mode down to his navel. On his chest, the slug wounds are circular and protruding.

He won’t springiness america his sanction oregon explicate precisely what happened. He says helium was a pack subordinate erstwhile helium was successful situation and, though helium didn’t person these injuries portion inside, they were the enactment of a situation gang.

“If I speech to you, I’m successful occupation - truthful I can’t,” helium says. He appears to beryllium successful his 20s oregon aboriginal 30s, and speaks quietly. “It’s brutal successful jail. You’re either successful oregon retired with the gangs - and it’s amended to beryllium in, oregon you’re done for erstwhile you get out.”

BBC News spent 2 days extracurricular London's HMP Belmarsh and HMP Isis speaking to radical visiting and others being released to gauge however gangs successful jails are operating.

Overcrowding is making it progressively hard to support rival groups isolated successful prisons. In September, the authorities released much than 1,700 offenders early, successful a arguable scheme aimed astatine easing the overwhelming unit connected the situation system.

Two men visiting a comparative astatine HMP Isis - a class C situation lodging young offenders aged betwixt 18 and 21 - are unambiguous erstwhile asked if their household subordinate has experienced immoderate pack violence.

“He’s had his look slashed and his pharynx slashed," 1 tells us. "He hasn't been retired of his compartment for 2 days due to the fact that there's been 8 stabbings connected the wing."

"It’s the Wild West successful there,” the different says. “The stabbings that spell on, the drugs… It’s ridiculous - it’s each done the gangs.”

Inside each situation there’s a sheet of unpaid volunteers who study connected whether inmates are being treated reasonably and fixed the enactment they request to crook their lives around.

The astir caller Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) study connected HMP Isis - which presently has astir 600 inmates - says determination are astir 136 progressive gangs successful the prison, with astir fractional of each inmates having a pack affiliation. There are postcode gangs, cause gangs, and spiritual gangs.

The study says keeping opposing gangs isolated is simply a situation - which is being exacerbated by the accrued mixing of prisoners.

According to the latest Inspectorate of Prisons report, determination person been 294 assaults astatine Belmarsh successful the past 12 months - 191 against prisoners and 103 against staff.

An inmate serving beingness for execution astatine different jailhouse calls america from his amerciable phone. He talks astir the interaction gangs person had connected him portion he’s been successful custody. To support his safety, we’re not naming him.

“I was susceptible and pushed to beryllium successful a pack and past I was made to bash each sorts for them,” helium says. “Listen, I’ve chopped people, I’ve attacked staff, hiding phones and drugs… I’ve done the maddest things that I’ve not wanted to do, conscionable for my safety.

“The situation officers fto them get distant with it due to the fact that they’re conscionable arsenic scared.”

We’re connected FaceTime and helium shows maine scars connected his cervix and arms, which helium says are the effect of not pursuing the gang’s orders properly.

“They did this to me,” helium says. “If you don’t bash what they want? It’s over.

“I get radical mightiness deliberation I merit this, ‘cos of what I’ve done, but I’m sorry, and I should get rehabilitation and not this.”

The Prison Officers’ Association (POA) says overcrowding and deficiency of abstraction is making it much challenging to support gangs isolated successful prisons. In September, hundreds of convicts walked retired of jails successful England and Wales aft serving 40% of their sentences, arsenic portion of the government's aboriginal merchandise strategy aimed astatine freeing up capacity.

“Gang warfare is rife successful galore of our prisons,” says Steve Gillan, the POA’s wide secretary. “Prison officers’ jobs are acold much unsafe present than they were successful the past. We cognize this from the horrendous, life-changing assaults connected our members, and, indeed, the attacks connected each different simply due to the fact that they are successful a antithetic gang.”

According to authoritative data, the fig of assaults down bars has accrued implicit the past 4 years. In 2023, determination were astir 27,000 assaults successful prisons successful England and Wales - up 28% from the erstwhile year.

“Gang rivalries are bitter,” a situation serviceman astatine HMP Isis tells us, speaking connected information of anonymity. “There are radical who person been stabbed, shot, oregon mislaid their friends to violence, truthful they are everlastingly seeking revenge connected each other.”

In caller weeks pack members person had to beryllium placed successful parts of the situation with their “enemies”, the serviceman says - and that’s resulted successful 3 razor attacks.

“Young men are present being placed connected wings wherever they’re excessively frightened to travel retired of their cells, and their rivals - who virtually privation to termination them - are coming to their doors to archer them this.”

The BBC was precocious fixed exclusive entree to HMP Pentonville, successful London, a situation with much than 1,200 antheral inmates. We were shown weapons confiscated by unit that prisoners made oregon got clasp of to inflict superior wounded and murder.

We saw integrative toilet brushes and toothbrushes with razor blades melted into their ends, and dense metallic poles and mop handles. Other items commonly utilized arsenic weapons see snooker balls placed successful socks, and boiling h2o and oil.

“Prisoners are uncovering they request weapons much than they did successful the past,” says Glenn Bartley, Pentonville’s information manager. He’s worked successful prisons for much than 30 years. “They get frightened and they manner thing to effort and support themselves, whether it beryllium from gangs oregon individuals.”

More prisoners volition beryllium released aboriginal early this period - but determination stay questions astir however effectual this arguable authorities strategy volition be. In Scotland - the lone portion of the UK to people authoritative statistic truthful acold - much than 10% of prisoners fto retired aboriginal are already backmost inside.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) told the BBC the caller authorities inherited a situation strategy “on the brink of collapse”, and the precocious introduced captive merchandise strategy is “the archetypal measurement toward rebuilding our justness system”.

The MoJ spokesperson added: “Violence and gangs are a scourge successful our jails and the chronic overcrowding we are seeing has made it intolerable for unit to woody with them effectively.

“Staff and the British nationalist merit amended and this authorities volition betterment prisons to much efficaciously tackle pack enactment and chopped crime.”