Plans to hold radical extremists in separate prison wings could lead to Britain's own 'Guantanamo Bay'
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| The Prison Officers Association said they are 'totally opposed' to having radical wings in jails |
It comes after a review into Islamist extremism in the British justice system found that political correctness in prisons is allowing extremism to flourish because guards are too afraid of confronting Muslims.
Liz Truss, the Justice Secretary,
announced that the most dangerous extremists will be locked up in
isolated high-security prisons within prisons to prevent them from
radicalising other inmates.
Mr Gillan told Sky News: "What we are essentially doing is giving them status and credibility.You politicise them, you give them credibility and before you know it you have got a British Guantanamo Bay.
"We are a big enough country to have a proper dispersal system and not give these individuals the credibility and the profile that no doubt they will probably be doing things to get into these units to say look at me, look at who I am."
The plan to build prisons within
prisons is similar to recent changes made in the French system under
which radical prisoners are isolated from the main population to stop
them spreading their links to other criminals.
Maze prison in Northern Ireland was another example of segregation within prisons, after Republican and loyalists were housed in different blocks during the 1980s.
Ms Truss added that the government have established a new directorate of security and counter-terrorism, who is a former prison governor, to make sure that prisons don’t allow prisoners who could potentially collaborate with each other and "cause problems."
Mr Gillan told Sky News: "What we are essentially doing is giving them status and credibility.You politicise them, you give them credibility and before you know it you have got a British Guantanamo Bay.
"We are a big enough country to have a proper dispersal system and not give these individuals the credibility and the profile that no doubt they will probably be doing things to get into these units to say look at me, look at who I am."
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Maze prison in Northern Ireland was another example of segregation within prisons, after Republican and loyalists were housed in different blocks during the 1980s.
Ms Truss added that the government have established a new directorate of security and counter-terrorism, who is a former prison governor, to make sure that prisons don’t allow prisoners who could potentially collaborate with each other and "cause problems."
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Ms Truss told BBC Radio 4’s
Today programme the government were looking at how they "manage" the
growing threat of extremism in prisons.
She said: "That will be by first of all having smaller units and units within existing prisons."
She said: "People will be moved around and that will be an operational decision by people who are the experts in dealing with counter-extremism.”
She said: "That will be by first of all having smaller units and units within existing prisons."
She said: "People will be moved around and that will be an operational decision by people who are the experts in dealing with counter-extremism.”
Mr Gillan told Sky News that creating new prison wings was the "wrong thing to do" and that the solution was more resources.
"We are now dealing with 35 per cent less prison officer breaks than we were in 2010. We say as a trade union 'speak to us.' We are very surprised the Secretary of State has divulged this today. We do have the solutions", he said.
"We have the experience and prison officers are coping magnificently against a backdrop of Budget cuts."
Chris Dean, a counter-extremism psychologist, told the BBC: "There are questions about how much radicalisation goes on in prisons. From what we know radicalisation can occur in various different ways.
"It may occur through particular individuals, equally individuals may think there is an opportunity for criminality. We have to understand the individuals and the dynamic between those individuals."
From: Welling, London
Background: Anjem Choudary is a British Muslim and social and political activist. He was previously a solicitor and served as the chairman of the Society of Muslim Lawyers, and was the spokesman for Islam4UK
In July 2016 Mr Choudary was convicted of inviting support for a proscribed organisation. He had sworn an oath of allegiance to Isil on social media.
"We are now dealing with 35 per cent less prison officer breaks than we were in 2010. We say as a trade union 'speak to us.' We are very surprised the Secretary of State has divulged this today. We do have the solutions", he said.
"We have the experience and prison officers are coping magnificently against a backdrop of Budget cuts."
Chris Dean, a counter-extremism psychologist, told the BBC: "There are questions about how much radicalisation goes on in prisons. From what we know radicalisation can occur in various different ways.
"It may occur through particular individuals, equally individuals may think there is an opportunity for criminality. We have to understand the individuals and the dynamic between those individuals."
Born:18 January 1967 (age 49)
Background: Anjem Choudary is a British Muslim and social and political activist. He was previously a solicitor and served as the chairman of the Society of Muslim Lawyers, and was the spokesman for Islam4UK
In July 2016 Mr Choudary was convicted of inviting support for a proscribed organisation. He had sworn an oath of allegiance to Isil on social media.
Education: He attended Mulgrave
Primary School, in Woolwich. He enrolled as a medical student at the
University of Southampton, where he was known as Andy, but failed his
first-year exams
Past work: Co-founder of Islamic organisation al-Muhajiroun, which he founded with Omar Bakri Muhammed
Past work: Co-founder of Islamic organisation al-Muhajiroun, which he founded with Omar Bakri Muhammed
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