£2.8M suicidal win

@emmalush wrote:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2187711,00.html

COMPENSATION payments to prisoners have doubled in the last year to more than £4 million, while the total legal bill to the Prison Service has reached £20 million a year. The total litigation bill is enough to run one of the large jails in England and Wales.

One prisoner received £2.8 million compensation after a failed suicide attempt, which is equal to the previous prison service record payout in 2002.

The payment was made in an out-of-court settlement to a prisoner who self-harmed and claimed for miscellaneous injury against the Prison Service. The service estimates that the costs alone of the case will be more than £1 million.

It is understood that a large proportion of the cash payout is a recognition that the inmate requires long-term medical care.

Compensation for prisoners is now six times higher than three years ago as the service is hit by a rising number of claims from inmates, including an increase in those alleging that their human rights have been breached.

An inmate in one of the top security jails currently has 15 outstanding claims against the service. Derek Ramsden, head of the Prison Service’s operational litigation unit, said that the “litigation culture” in society was reflected in prisons and there were plenty of would-be amateur lawyers in jails encouraging fellow prisoners to bring claims.

He added: “Accidents happen, but now people often look for someone to blame rather than themselves. And that is true of society as a whole, not just within the service.”

Mr Ramsden disclosed that more than 1,000 cases are being brought against the Prison Service every year and the figure is on the rise.

The most common claim is for personal injury, he said. “Personal injury can cover a multitude of sins: slipping or falling down stairs, a chair collapsing, falling off a ladder or through a ceiling — we even had one prisoner that had his finger bitten off by a horse,” Mr Ramsden said.

But the latest figures will fuel public concern about the fairness of the criminal justice and the perception that it is biased in favour of the offender rather than the victim.

Latest official figures show that overall out-of-court settlements to prisoners in publicly run jails totalled £4,010,233 in 2005-06. This figure is double the sum paid out in 2004-05 and almost six times the sum paid in 2003-04.

Yes we have human rights, goes without saying, but when your sent down for abusing others rights in society, and then you claim compensation on the grounds of what you do yourself, then thats CRAZY.

We LIVE in a crazy society now, and the innocence (law abidding citizens) are THE victms, WE pay for this.

But hey, thats the kind of society we voted for in the last general election, and it would be NO different with new conservatism and lib dems. Infact, with the lib dems it WILL be worse.

It’s a sad state of affairs . For years now we have been heading towards the Americanised compensation claims .
Now everyone looks for someone to blame – there are no “accidents” anymore
It’s crazy as you say Emma – for once I agree with you

Crazy situation. I wonder if lots more prisoners will make failed suicide attempts in the hope of getting big compensation.

If the prisoner was denied psychiatric treatment that they clearly needed, then maybe some compensation would be in order but only perhaps a packet of cigarettes or a couple of old copies of Playboy magazine!!

Wasn’t there a song called Sue Me Sue You Blues?

I feel a Google moment coming on. :lol: