Officers say the actual damage caused was no more than a normal weekend at the YOI.
Justice Secretary Jack Straw said young offenders caused 220,000 worth of damage to cells during a one-day wildcat strike by members of the POA in August. He proposed a strike ban as an amendment to the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill, which is currently going through Parliament.
But Colin Moses, chairman of the POA, said the figure was misleading. "When questioned about the cost in the commons, justice minister David Hanson said it was 64,000," Moses said. "The damage done to Lancaster Farms was no greater than what is normally done over a weekend when young people are locked up."
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