Prisoner sues over bunk beds (From Oxford Mail)

Prisoner sues over bunk beds

8:50am Monday 28th August 2006

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An inmate at an Oxfordshire jail is suing after he fell off the top bunk in his cell.

Gerry Cooper cut his head open after rolling out of bed at Bullingdon Prison near Bicester and is now complaining the beds breach health and safety as he seeks a pay-out.

'The Governor here denies any liability, but informs me that any inmate who does not feel safe in a bunk bed on the top bunk will not be compelled to go into one'

Prisoner Gerry Cooper

In a letter to prisoners' magazine Inside Time Cooper said bunk beds were "an accident waiting to happen" and suggested inmates should not be compelled to sleep on the top bunk.

Cooper said: "The Governor here denies any liability, but informs me that any inmate who does not feel safe in a bunk bed on the top bunk will not be compelled to go into one.

"If this is indeed Prison Service policy then I feel that all inmates need to be aware of the implications."

A Prison Service spokesman said its policy was not as suggested in Cooper's letter.

"Prisoners who sleep in bunk beds have been advised for some time on how to use them safely and are encouraged to report any concerns to prison staff," he said.

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