A 42-year-old serving time in HMP Manchester gets punched by another inmate during lunch. He's not alone. Across Britain's prisons, people in their 40s are facing violence at rates not seen in years.

While Starmer faces criticism for 'appeasing' big tech firms over online safety, a different kind of safety crisis is unfolding behind prison walls. Assaults on prisoners aged 40-49 jumped 63.5% in 2023, reaching 1,457 incidents compared to just 891 the year before.

This isn't about young offenders or gang violence. These are middle-aged prisoners, people who should theoretically be past their most violent years, yet they're experiencing unprecedented levels of assault. The surge affects every category: fights between prisoners, attacks on staff, even self-harm incidents that turn violent.

The numbers reveal something troubling about Britain's prison system. Nearly 1,500 assaults on 40-somethings in a single year means roughly four incidents every day involving this age group alone. That's four middle-aged prisoners being punched, kicked, or worse, before most people finish their morning coffee.

What makes this particularly concerning is the life stage these victims represent. Prisoners in their 40s often have families on the outside, mortgages to worry about, aging parents to consider. They're meant to be the stable ones, the inmates who keep their heads down and serve their time quietly. Instead, they're caught in an escalating cycle of violence.

The timing matters too. This explosion in violence comes as prisons face chronic overcrowding, staff shortages, and budget constraints. When you pack more people into spaces designed for fewer, with less supervision, violence becomes inevitable. But the 63% surge suggests something beyond mere overcrowding is driving this crisis.

Perhaps it's desperation. Middle-aged prisoners know their chances of rebuilding after release get slimmer with age. Maybe it's frustration with a system that seems increasingly chaotic. Or maybe it's simply that when violence becomes normalised in an institution, it spreads to every age group.

The data doesn't capture the ripple effects. Each assault creates trauma, prolongs sentences through disciplinary action, and makes rehabilitation harder. When a 45-year-old gets attacked, it's not just one person affected. It's their children wondering why Dad sounds different on the phone, their partner worrying about what prison is doing to the person they're waiting for.

While politicians debate regulating social media platforms, Britain's prisons are failing at their most basic duty: keeping people safe. The 40-something generation behind bars deserves better than becoming collateral damage in a system that's clearly breaking down. (Source: Ministry of Justice, Safety in Custody -- safety-in-custody-assaults-dec-23 -- 3_3_Assaults_by_age)