Report: A review claims prison officers are being exploited by Islamic inmates in British jails

Prison staff are reluctant to tackle Islamic extremists in fear of being labelled racist.

An damning report claims that officers were being exploited by Islamic inmates in British jails who are aware staff are worried about losing their job due to racism complaints.

The independent review, commissioned by Justice Secretary Michael Gove, also recommended that Islamic prisoners convicted of terror offences be kept away from other Muslims in a specially designed blocks at high-security jails, reports the Sunday Times.

Experts believe this will stop the cons from meeting up with other non-militant inmates and using occasions such as Friday prayers as a chance to recruit them for their jihadi cause.

Publication of the review, conducted by former Home Office official Ian Acheson and to be released next month, was delayed by Government bosses over fears that it might have been toned down in order to take criticism away from National Offender Management Scheme (NOMS) staff.

Over 12,000 Muslims are behind bars in England and Wales with 130 of those serving terror related sentences, while Government officials believe that 1,000 could be vulnerable to radicalisation.

The review, that was originally given to Mr Gove in March, claims NOMS is ‘effectively asleep’ in dealing with extremism in the nation’s jails and that they do not have the skills or the resources to deal with the epidemic.

A Whitehall official told the Sunday Times: ‘The findings are very uncomfortable for the Government, because they will leave NOMS bruised and embarrassed.

‘That’s why there has been a chorus of opposition to publishing it in its current form, and officials have even considered publishing a watered-down version, but even then that’s being blocked.’