I write in response to your front page article regarding the problems at Lewes Prison.

As a retired officer of 30 years experience at the prison it saddens me to see what is happening not only there but nationwide.

When I first joined prisoners were locked up for 23 hours a day, there was no interaction between staff and prisoners, suicide rates were high as were assaults on staff.

As staff became better trained and procedural changes allowed interaction between us, suicide rates and assaults were reduced.

Funny that, it used to be called rehabilitation. Now thanks to this government we are back to long hours of incarceration.

The government say it is due to an increase in prisoner numbers. What absolute nonsense. Numbers have been around 86,000 for at least 20 years and we have managed them.

It is purely down to staff cuts. Yet they trot out the old line about it being safe and secure.

What is it going to take for the Justice Secretary to admit he got it wrong?

There will be somewhere in the country a major incident and sadly ex colleagues of mine will be badly injured.

If police were getting injured with as much regularity as prison staff there would be a public outcry. But because there are big walls between us and the public nobody gives a damn.

The media have never been prone to support prison staff as they have police officers, and yet the two jobs are interlinked.

I am saddened to see the current staff so demoralised.

These are professional men and women who do a thankless job because they care.

Well now it’s time for the media and the public to show they care. Just because we are out of sight it shouldn't mean we are out of mind.

David Gale, Mildmay Road, Lewes