The Rev. Llywelyn Williamsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department to what extent financial compensation for physical injury causing incapacity is payable to prisoners in Her Majesty's prisons who have been attacked by other prisoners.
§ Major Lloyd-GeorgeWhere one prisoner attacks another it is not necessarily proper for a payment to be made from public funds to the prisoner attacked, even though he may suffer a degree of incapacity. If the prisoner attacked considers that the attack was due to or facilitated by the negligence of the prison authorities, he may have a claim at common law for damages; and prisoners do sometimes prosecute such a claim. Further, it is not uncommon for a prisoner who suffers an appreciable incapacity, or has undergone great pain and suffering, as a result of an attack by another prisoner, to be given some remission of sentence by way of compensation.