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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Rowena Mason Whitehall editor

Assaults in prisons in England and Wales rise to average of 74 a day

Arched stone gateway at Wandsworth prison: it is an old building with imposing structure and thick wooden gates
Last year 1,044 assaults were recorded at HMP Wandsworth, in south-west London; more than half of these were on prison staff. Photograph: Lucy North/PA

Assaults in prisons have been rising with an average of 74 a day recorded in England and Wales last year, including 25 assaults a day inflicted on staff, House of Commons library research has shown.

The figures, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, show that of the 26,912 assaults that took place over the course of the year, about 3,200 were deemed to be serious – an average of eight a day.

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