Emma, I can only go by what was said - the inmate concerned wasn't called Kevin! My reference to volatility was to the fact that last year there were several problems at this prison over the Christmas period and of more recent months there have been more problems, none of them (as far as I know)to do with racism. However, the man who was upset was very clear that he'd been told it was to avoid upsetting other faiths. He was also specific about which one - I'm not dwelling on that facet because it's hardly relevant. It might have been an officer choosing to stir the pot a bit, but the inmate who was upset was working himself up about it all because he felt he should have the right to have a Christmas tree in his cell if he wanted one. These comments came in a group which included a good variety of ethnicities and (I assume) religious beliefs, and everyone present was supportive of his feelings. Any religious or secular holiday with a family connection must be truly miserable in prison for those prisoners with families and I suspect the very smallest excuse would be enough to be very provocative.

I've learnt enough about prisons over the last 12 months to know that there are, unfortunately, some officers who do take a delight in causing ructions (to put things at their mildest) - I don't for a moment think this would be a Home Office directive, but far more likely to be a localised problem on a wing of the prison. It's unfortunate that there are pockets of misinformation and ignorance in our society.

Anne