By James Simons-
An Inmate who attacked a prison governor has been jailed for 3 years.
Thomas Howard viciously attacked HMP Wayland governor, Paul Cawkwell in the canteen of the prison in Griston, hospitalizing him in the process.
Cawkwell sustained serious fractures to his eye socket and cheek bones in the attack on July 27.
Howard, 34, appeared at Norwich Crown Court on December 20 and pleaded guilty to two counts of assault occasioning grievous bodily harm –.One of his guilty pleas was in relation to the attack on the governor and the other to an attack on July 23 on another member of staff, who sustained cheek bone fractures.
Wayland at the time had 952 inmates, over 10% more than it was built to accomodate. Attacks by prison inmates are not uncommon in jails, but are wholly unacceptable because prison governors are there to do a job. A spokesperson for the HMP Norfolk prison told the eye of media.com that the attack was an ”isolated incidence”, but admitted that tensions between prisoners and prison governors can sometimes occur ”in the course of their duties”.
”prisoners can be very temperamental, the spokesperson told the eye of media.com, but in general, prison governors are able to do their job effectively without major obstructions”.
Prison governors sometimes have to intervene in situations that occur between prisoners, unavoidably sometimes becoming involved in personal disputes between inmates. With rebellion and drug use high among inmates, many of them respond in a rough manner which can spark hostility between them and prison governors. They are tasked with the role of managing a team of prison officers to keep people secure in prison. They are also responsible for carrying out disciplinary actions – an area which can easily spark conflict between them and very unruly prisoners.
Preparing prisoners for life after prison is another part of their remit as prison governors
In the end, it is the prisoner who launches an attack that will have to face the law, and prison governors will always be given the benefit of the doubt in a dispute between them and an inmate.