with by a kangaroo court.

Following a riot inside Westgate last month five prisoners were dealt with by the Treatment of Offenders Board which ordered loss of remission.

But a letter sent to The Royal Gazette from Westgate claims the prisoners, who are in jail for offences ranging from manslaughter to armed robbery, were badly treated by the Board and given no time to defend themselves.

The letter states: "It is not the charges themselves that we find outrageous, but the manner in which they were implemented and the adjudication process and sentences that followed.'' The letter further claims the men were allowed less than five minutes to defend themselves against charges they did not know had been drafted. And it says the men were summoned to attend a meeting unaware of what was going on.

It also questions how Board members, who the letter claims have no experience of prisons and prisoners, can judge people they have no knowledge of.

"What happened to democratic rules?'' the letter asks. "Has this been abolished and replaced by an Express Kangaroo Court? "Unless you treat men like men, they will not behave like men. If you treat them like animals, they will behave like animals.'' Last night, Mr. Ed Dyer, Commissioner of Prisons, said if the prisoners felt aggrieved they should have raised the matter with him. "I would have been more interested if they had raised it with me, rather than the press.''