Prisoners claim £1 million of compensation

Over the past five years, prisoners in Northern Ireland have received over £1 million in compensation payouts, according to the BBC.

Investigators found that £1,107,830 was paid out in compensation claims between January 2002 and December 2006.

The biggest single payout related to a medical negligence case from 2004, when an inmate won £501,000.

Claims for injuries inflicted by other inmates totalled £124,714 and one prisoner was awarded £1,000 after being bitten by the prison warden's dog.

Payouts for prisoners who had been unlawfully searched by wardens ranged from £914 to £12,785.

Other claims were made for trips and falls, insufficient training, contraction of an unnamed disease and stress.

Prisoners can not access the awarded money directly, but can instruct their solicitors to manage it on their behalf.

A spokesman for the Northern Ireland Prison Service told the BBC it "aims to maintain a humane and caring environment where all persons are safe and promote and improve the health and social wellbeing of all".

"Each claim for compensation is considered on its merit and dealt with accordingly," he added.

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