Prisoners 'cash rewards' condemned

All 758 inmates at Whatton Prison, near Bingham, Notts, will be given £2 for the day which they spent locked in their cells after a walkout by members of the Prison Officers Association.

Thousands of prison staff in England and Wales staged the last-minute unofficial strike over a decision to pay their 2.5% pay award in two stages.

Glyn Travis, assistant secretary for the Prison Officer's Association, said he was appalled by the decision to reward inmates.

He said: "This is a disgraceful act by the Prison Service and the Government to reward prisoners for good behaviour which is expected and demanded of them when they are in prison.

"It would be interesting to see the reaction of the victims and their families of the people who are in Whatton Prison, considering it has got a number of sex offenders and paedophiles."

The Ministry of Justice said the decision to pay prisoners was made by the governors of individual jails. Often it was to compensate inmates who otherwise would have been earning money in prison activities halted by the strike.

"This was a local decision reflecting the individual circumstances at Whatton," said a spokeswoman.

Whatton is a category C prison which holds adult male sex offenders.

Inmates can earn upwards of £8 a week spending money for carry out jobs such as window cleaning and gardening in the jail.