Prison officers are more than twice as likely to be reported for racism as prisoners, according to the latest government figures.
Ministry of Justice complaints data found alleged racist incidents across England and Wales’ 139 prisons have risen by a quarter.
The figures showed that staff and prisoners have made 46,000 complaints about racism since 2006.
But they also showed that, proportionally, staff are almost twice as likely to be accused of racism by a prisoner than vice versa, reports the Guardian.
According to the data, one in seven staff members received complaints from prisoners about racism, while just one in 16 prisoners were accused of racism towards staff.
Colin Moses, national chair of the Prison Officers Association, said the figures were worrying. He also expressed concern at racist tendencies among a minority of staff, saying that prison officers had begun asking for permission to join the BNP, which they are at present forbidden from doing.
