'I’m IN PRISON' Incredible moment lag uses smuggled phone to call Ferrari on live radio
THIS is the unbelievable moment a prison lag calls into LBC from a contraband mobile to explain to Nick Ferrari why violence is booming in British jails.
Prisoner calls LBC from CONTRABAND phone
Craig, who is currently serving a 14-year sentence for firearms offences, told the startled LBC host the Government’s decision to invest £104 million in new prison officers was going to fail.
The long-term serving prisoner said tensions in the facilities are increasing because of the young and inexperienced staff being placed in situations they are not psychologically equipped to handle.
Craig said: “The problem in prisons these days is a psychological matter Nick.
“You can’t throw in inexperienced staff to deal with prisoners that generally are not in a good mood on a daily basis.
“There are so many new inexperienced 21- and 22-year-olds and that is creating more tension and that is creating more violence.”
Craig rang into the show as Ferrari discussed the decision to reverse cuts in prison guards due to the sharp rise in violence and drug abuse with the correction facilities.
Justice Secretary Liz Truss announced the £104m boost on Wednesday, which would mean prisons would have an additional 2,500 officers on the front line.
Questioning how Craig knew this was a major issue in the jails, Ferrari said: “How do you know this?”
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I’m in prison right now Nick
“Because I’m in prison right now Nick,” Craig answered.
Completely taken-a-back, the LBC host asked how the prisoner was ringing into the show, to which Craig said he was ringing in on a smartphone smuggled in by a member of staff.
Craig added at least 85 per cent of the contraband in British jails are brought in by guards or civilian staff.
He said: “A lot of the drugs and the contraband - I'd say at least 85% of it - were brought in by civilian staff or prison officers.
"If you see the type of contraband that prison officers are finding, they are not the sort of amounts people could bring in on a prison visit.
The prisoner added the government could invest in as many new prison officers as they saw fit, would it would not tackle the issue.
Craig said: “You can get as many prison officers in as you like, you can get 25 prison officers in tomorrow and it would do no good Nick because they are inexperienced.
“They don’t have the psychological welfare to deal with the surroundings and the situation that they are in.
“So the more inexperienced staff you put in the worse the situation is going to get and the more contraband you are gonna get in jails.”