UK's best paid prison inmate earned £46k last year – more than most nurses and teachers

The UK's highest-paid prison inmate earned around £46,000 last year - more than most nurses, teachers, and biochemists, as well as the prison officers guarding them

Britain’s best paid inmates are earning more on average than the prison officers guarding them, new Home Office data has revealed.

The highest-paid of them all got a net salary of £36,715, making their gross pay around £46,000 - more than what most nurses and teachers take home. The data, obtained by a freedom of information request, also found nine other inmates to receive net earnings of more than £22,900 last year.

In a bid to rehabilitate inmates and help them assimilate back into society, some prisoners in low-security open prisons have been given the green light to work outside the prison, on the condition that they are back on the premises by the end of the day.

While high-earning prisoners are thought to work a variety of roles, one of the most lucrative is driving lorries, the Telegraph reports. The role also has some of the fewest security implications. Several working inmates are made to pay a victim’s levy, which can slash 40% off their salary.

But a top-paid inmate earning a net salary of £36,715 means they're taking home more than midwives (£36,622), biochemists (£36,586), psychotherapists (£36,602), chartered surveyors (£35,041) and probation officers (£29,913), according to the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.

Last year, the total pay of inmates came to £22.5 million against an average of 1,183 working prisoners. This makes the average working prisoner's pay equal to just under £20,000 per year. Prison officers typically earn around £28,000, while new recruits are paid about £24,000 per year.

The Ministry of Justice said there were two other high-paid inmates who received a net pay of than £30,000 after deductions last year. Meanwhile seven others put between £22,900 and £30,000 into private bank accounts.

A Prison Service spokesman said: “Some offenders, towards the end of their sentence, receive a release on temporary licence. This sees them spend some of their day in the community, often working, before returning to prison. If they are working, their earnings are subject to tax, court fines and a levy of up to 40 per cent, which funds a charity for victims.

“Time spent working in the community significantly reduces a prisoner’s likelihood of reoffending, cutting crime and making our streets safer.”