Up to 10,000 prison officers are striking today over health and safety concerns.
A Prison Officers Association spokesman said: "The POA has consistently raised the volatile and dangerous state of prisons as chronic staff shortages and impoverished regimes has resulted in staff no longer being safe, a lack of discipline and prisoners taking control of areas.
"The continued surge in violence and unprecedented levels of suicide and acts of self-harm, coupled with the recent murder and escapes, demonstrate that the service is in meltdown."
But the Ministry of Justice said the industrial action was "unlawful" - and that it would be taking the matter to court.
Official figures show that in the year to June, the number of attacks on staff rose by 43% to 5,954, with 697 of them recorded as serious.
The POA said it had directed all of its members to effectively go on strike for a day after talks with the Government broke down.
Those taking part in Tuesday's protest will stop working and provide emergency cover only.
The action comes weeks after Justice Secretary Liz Truss met with the POA to discuss safety in jails.
Her plans for reform include putting an extra 2,500 guards in prisons and introducing no fly zones over jails so that drones cannot drop contraband.
She also wants maths and English tests for offenders so their improvement can be monitored and 300 more police dogs to detect drugs.
However, high-profile incidents including the stabbing to death of a prisonerat Pentonville in north London last month and a riot at HMP Bedford which reportedly saw 200 inmates go on the rampage has left some believing the service is in crisis.
In the last week, five dangerous convicts have escaped.
Two from Pentonville have since been captured - but three deemed a "risk to the public" remain on the run from HMP Leyhill in South Gloucestershire.
A MoJ spokesman said: "There is no justification for this action.
"We have been engaged in constructive talks with the POA over the last two weeks and have provided a comprehensive response to a range of health and safety concerns."
He added: "We have well-established contingencies in place to manage prisons and keep the public safe, but we are clear that this constitutes unlawful industrial action, and will seek remedy in the courts."
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