A 45-year-old serving time in a Category B prison last year was nearly twice as likely to be assaulted by another inmate as someone the same age would have been in 2022. While world leaders gather in Delhi to discuss AI safety, a more immediate danger is escalating in Britain's overcrowded prisons — and it's hitting middle-aged inmates hardest.

Assaults against prisoners aged 40-49 reached 1,457 incidents in 2023, a staggering 63.5% increase from the 891 recorded the previous year (Source: Ministry of Justice, Safety in Custody -- safety-in-custody-assaults-dec-23 -- 3_3_Assaults_by_age). That's nearly four serious assaults every single day against this age group alone.

This isn't just another prison statistic. It represents a fundamental shift in who's getting hurt behind bars. Middle-aged prisoners — often serving longer sentences for serious crimes, frequently struggling with mental health issues, sometimes targeted for their perceived vulnerability — are bearing the brunt of rising violence.

The numbers reveal something troubling about prison dynamics. These aren't young inmates letting off steam or settling scores from the outside. When violence surges among the 40-49 age group, it suggests deeper systemic problems: overcrowding creating pressure-cooker conditions, staff shortages reducing supervision, or the simple reality that an ageing prison population brings its own tensions.

The timing couldn't be worse. Britain's prisons are already at breaking point, with the government recently forced to implement early release schemes to prevent the system collapsing entirely. Yet within this crisis, a specific group — people who should theoretically be past their most violent years — are facing unprecedented levels of assault.

What makes this surge particularly concerning is its speed. A 63% year-on-year increase doesn't happen gradually. Something changed dramatically in Britain's prisons in 2023, and middle-aged inmates paid the price in violence. Whether that's understaffing, overcrowding, or changes in the prison population mix, the result is the same: people are getting hurt.

Every one of these 1,457 assaults represents a failure of the system designed to keep inmates safe while they serve their time. These aren't abstract numbers — they're broken bones, hospital visits, and trauma that extends far beyond prison walls to families already dealing with the consequences of incarceration.

While politicians debate the theoretical risks of artificial intelligence, the very real violence in our prisons continues to escalate. The question isn't whether our justice system can handle futuristic threats — it's whether it can protect the people in its care right now.