A group of female prison wardens from a single prison in the UK were fired after they were caught having sexual interactions and relationships with inmates. According to reports as many as 18 jailers were sacked for hooking up at HMP Berwyn, the largest prison in the UK and a privately owned facility in Wrexham, North Wales.
The shocking revelations were made after the Mirror filed Freedom of Information requests after three of the involved women were brought to justice for their contacts, the Daily Star reported. One of the women jailers was even caught exchanging raunchy photos with a prisoner, and it was later found that she had brought in a phone for her boyfriend.
Sex With Inmates
The outlet reported that convicted robber Alex Coxon bribed Jennifer Gavan $180 to bring her a mobile. After she was found guilty of misbehavior, Gavan was sentenced to eight months in prison.
Jailor Emily Watson became connected with heroin dealer John McGee, who was serving an eight-year sentence for causing a fatality by reckless driving.
Ayshea Gunn was also involved in sending Khuram Razaq, an armed robber, "extremely sexualized" pictures and films.
Since then, Mark Fairhurst, chair of the Prison Officers' Association, has criticized the hiring process. He said the "wrong kind of women" had been hired to fill the roles, adding: "Staff being recruited don't have face-to-face interviews... it's all done on Zoom.
"A lot of people getting these jobs don't have enough life experience and are susceptible to conditioning from prisoners.
"Your figures just prove what we've been warning the employer about for years."
Everyone Shocked
The incident has left everyone shocked about how things are managed inside UK prisons. An investigation has been launched to find out if such activities happen in other British prisons. However, this is not the first time such an incident has happened in a UK prison.
The Ministry of Justice reports that since the beginning of 2019, at least 32 female prison officers in England and Wales have been fired for having illicit or sexual relationships with prisoners.
In the past, HMP Berwyn developed a reputation as one of the most luxurious prisons in Britain, offering inmates high-quality quarters with en-suite toilets and windows without bars. However, several jailers have time and again tarnished the image of the prison by having illicit relationships with the inmates.
A Prison Service spokesman said: "The majority of staff are hard-working and honest but we are doing more to catch the small number who break the rules."
