PRISON ANARCHY
Where is HMP Birmingham, why is the government taking over from G4S and when were the riots?
The Ministry of Justice was forced to step in after an inspection found staff asleep on the job allowing the prison to descend into anarchy
SECURITY firm G4S has been removed from HMP Birmingham after an inspection found the facility had descended into anarchy.
The Category-B prison, which is Britain's largest, was rocked by disorder last year after 600 lags took over and caused £2million of damage in 12-hours.
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Where is HMP Birmingham?
The prison is based in the Winson Green area of Birmingham, a few miles north west of the city centre.
The Victorian category B prison was built in 1849 and can hold 1,450 adult remand and sentenced male prisoners.
Winson Green prison was home to serial killer Fred West and where he committed suicide while on remand.
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Why has G4S had their contract revoked?
The Ministry of Justice has dramatically stripped private security contractors G4S of its 15-year contract after conditions at HMP Birmingham were described as "anarchy";.
The contract was said to be worth £30 million, with the prison run privately since 2011.
The MoJ has today officially triggered a "step in" process to re-take control of Britain's worst jail.
The prison's governor and senior staff have also been sacked.
A report into activities at the prison found staff were either asleep or had locked themselves in rooms instead of going on patrols, allowing prisoners to openly take drugs or carry out assaults within the facility.
The step-in process will also see the number of prisoners at the facility slashed by 300 immediately.
Last week the Chief Inspector of Prisons put HMP Birmingham on notice, branding it poor in all criteria including safety, respect, activity and resettlement.
The prison service will remain in charge at the facility for at least six months in order to bring it under control.
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What happened during the prisoners riot at HMP Birmingham last year?
Prisoners caused £2million of damage during a 12-hour riot which saw them take over four wings of the jail on December 16 2016.
They smashed cells and offices, set fire to stairwells and destroyed paper records.
It is believed to be a dispute over lags not having access to TV and a gym.
About 500 inmates - a third of the jail's population - had to be moved to other sites during repair work.
Pictures, which emerged at the scene, showed two prisoners dressed as guards and posing with the keys inside jail.
Another, taken from the upper floor of a wing showed buckets and clothes strewn over the floor and netting.
The rioting at the Winson Green jail was some of the worst in years at a UK prison.
Tornado Teams, police, ambulance and firefighters were all at the scene, with police finally regaining control of the prison 12 hours after the riot began.
An inspection found the riot-hit jail was gripped by drug-fuelled violence with many inmates feeling "unsafe" behind bars.
Half of the prisoners surveyed also told inspectors it was "easy to get drugs", with one in seven said they were getting hooked on drugs while in the jail.
The inspection also found the use of mobile phones and drones to arrange and deliver contraband, like the highly addictive Spice, over the Victorian jail's high walls was also "a significant threat".
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