Prisoners paid 2.5 mln stg compensation, says BBC

LONDON, June 15 (Reuters) Prisoners in 94 jails in England and Wales received 2.5 million pounds in compensation last year over claims of abuse, assault, unlawful detention and medical negligence.

Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act to the BBC show that two jails, Wormwood Scrubs in London and Northallerton Young Offenders Institution in North Yorkshire accounted for almost half the total.

The Ministry of Justice declined to confirm the amount. In a statement it said it contested compensation claims and that the majority were successfully defended.

''Each compensation claim received by the Prison Service is treated on its individual merits,'' it said.

''Legal advice is sought and ... a decision is made on whether or not the claim should be defended. We cannot therefore comment on individual cases or the reasons that they were settled, as the terms of each settlement vary and may be subject to confidentiality clauses.'' The ministry declined to comment on the two jails which accounted for the largest proportion of pay-outs.

The biggest single payment was for 575,000 pounds, to a male prisoner at Northallerton who apparently attempted suicide, the BBC said.

In March, the Home Office said it had settled claims out of court with 197 convicted prisoners who were forced to stop taking heroin while serving their sentences. The prisoners' claims, which were brought under human rights laws, cost 750,000 pounds to settle.

Separately, ministers in Scotland denied earlier this year that they faced a multi-million pound compensation claim from prisoners who had been prevented from voting at Scottish Parliament elections.

REUTERS SLD KN1447