The officers defied prison management and imposed a more restrictive regime on inmates after an impromptu meeting in the prison car park. Under the open door policy, prisoners are allowed to move more freely between cells and communal areas. A three-hour standoff between staff and management culminated in the open door regime being reinstated.
Colin Moses, national chair of the Prison Officers' Association, said: "The regime is one of appeasement, where inmates are left to their own devices. Staff were placed in an unsafe position and, frustrated at the management's lack of concern, they changed the system."
But a Prison Service spokeswoman said officers acted illegally. "The action taken by staff on 12 May was unacceptable. There are procedures in place and channels through which staff can raise concerns," she said.
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