Three days ago you received a bulletin, '700 prison officers under investigation for, bribery, drug smuggling, racism, sexism, fraud and violence against prisoners'.

Now rather naively, MOJUK, thought at least a couple of them would be charged with something and spending sometime in jail. Well we got that wrong.

Vikram Dodd, The Guardian, Thursday June 27, 2002

Two prison officers have been sacked for assaulting inmates at a youth jail at the centre of long running allegations that it operated a regime of terror.

Staff at Portland young offenders' institution are alleged to have meted out beatings and abuse to vulnerable inmates.

Penal reform groups and lawyers for alleged victims yesterday renewed their calls for a full public inquiry into a string of brutality allegations at Portland, Dorset, stretching over 14 years.

The Howard League claims that the reign of terror was known about and tacitly supported by managers at the jail. The prison service denies the claims.

The prison service confirmed yesterday that two prison officers were dismissed after a disciplinary hearing held behind closed doors. The two officers are expected to appeal against the decision.

Last year the crown prosecution service decided to bring no charges against any officer. Police sent files regarding 31 allegations to the CPS, dating back five years.

The two dismissed officers were found to have assaulted two inmates in separate incidents in 1999 in the segregation unit.

One officer grabbed a 17-year-old boy and pushed him into a wall, causing a minor injury. In the second incident, an officer administered a backhanded slap into the stomach of a 19-year-old inmate.

The officers were cleared of assaulting an 18-year-old inmate in March 2000. An allegation that one of the officers tried to provoke a 21-year-old inmate was also not upheld.

One of the officers who was dismissed is at the centre of seven other allegations that he assaulted youngsters. The alleged victims have issued claims for damages.

In the upheld claim of assault, the disciplinary panel heard evidence supporting the prisoners' allegation from a retired prison officer, who now lives abroad.

Concern over Portland persuaded the Home Office last year to stop sending inmates under 18 to the youth jail.

Prison reformers say the allegations of brutality are the worst levelled against a youth prison in modern times. Inmates as young as 15 claim they were kicked and punched by officers, and two have told of hearing screams echoing through sections of the Victorian jail after beatings by officers.

Fran Russell, assistant director of the Howard League, said: "We are glad that at last there is some official acknowledgment that children were abused at Portland. We believe that abuse was happening within the knowledge of the management of the prison and that it was tacitly supported by them, in so far as they failed to stop it.

"At the very least, we need a national register of allegations of wrongdoing so that staff are encouraged to come forward and report colleagues who they believe are acting improperly."

Nogah Ofer, solicitor for seven of the alleged victims, said: "This shows the prison officers have been disbelieved. The prison service and the police's assumption is that you can never believe prisoners.

"Our clients do not know each other, and were at Portland at different times and have made the same allegations against the prison officer.

"If you look at the overall picture, the prisoners can be believed. The prison service has been dragging its feet."

Martin Narey, director general of the prison service, told the Guardian he did not deny there could have been further brutality in the segregation unit, but said there was no evidence.

Mr Narey said Portland had been turned around and added that beatings were not an officially sanctioned policy: "I think bad practices were prevalent at Portland. When I visited in 1999 I was pretty horrified by the culture.

"The segregation unit was very militaristic in its approach and conditions were pretty primitive."

He had been worried by the possibility of brutality after his visit and warned: "Anyone who lays a hand on a prisoner will be sacked."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,744671,00.html