Female prisoners are up in arms after a shortage of big knickers.
Inmates at HMP Styal, a 480-capacity women’s jail in Cheshire have complained to inspectors that there aren’t enough sizes available. Lags at the jail are only allowed one clothing parcel a year – on their birthday – but otherwise have to order from catalogues.
If they don’t have enough money, they rely on prison-issue gear – which is in short supply, according to the report by inspectors from the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB). In its latest report, inspectors state: "The Board remains concerned about access to clothing.
READ MORE: Inside Venezuelan gang-run jail with gun-toting lags who 'fed enemies to crocodiles'
For the latest news on life behind bars, click here.
"The Board is aware that there is often a shortage of basic clothing such as underwear, nightwear, footwear, coats, and clothing in general for female prisoners.
"There is a limited range of sizes, especially in the provision of underwear." It adds: “Access to suitable prison issue clothing for female prisoners remains a key concern for the board."
Writing about the clothing parcels allowed, the report states: “All prisoners can now receive one clothing parcel per year on their birthday." There have been a whopping 860 official complaints made by lags at the jail in the past year – with 21 specifically about clothing.
Earlier this year, a female inmate with a 36HH bust won a sex discrimination case after jail-issue bras didn’t fit. Inmates are normally allowed 14 pairs of knickers and seven bras – with any excess having to go into storage.
A prison source said that many inmates simply couldn’t afford clothes, adding: "If you have to rely on prison clothes you can expect a mish-mash of sizes, most of which don’t seem to fit anyone."
A spokesperson for the Prison Service said that if an inmate requires clothes of a "non-standard size", governors should ‘allow friends or relatives to hand them into the jail".
Prisons have a duty to provide clothes in a range of sizes which are "clean (and) in good condition" to keep prisoners "warm and healthy".
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.
Source: Read Full Article