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Truss: Extra 2,100 prison officers to be deployed Prisons to get 'biggest overhaul in a generation'
(about 4 hours later)
An extra 2,100 prison officers are to be recruited to ease staffing shortages in jails in England and Wales, Justice Secretary Liz Truss will say later. Prisons in England and Wales are to undergo an overhaul that will be "the biggest in a generation", Justice Secretary Liz Truss has said.
Unveiling a White Paper, Ms Truss will say the new recruits should help to reduce attacks on staff and prisoners. She unveiled a White Paper detailing £1.3bn of investment in a "modern" prison estate over the next five years.
She will detail plans for more autonomy for governors and ensure drug tests for inmates when they enter and leave jail. The plans include recruiting an extra 2,100 prison officers, new drug tests and more autonomy for governors.
But Labour said the speech would be a "blatant PR stunt" unless comprehensive plans to address staff cuts were made. Labour said the speech would be a "blatant PR stunt" unless comprehensive plans to address staff cuts were made.
Since 2010, prison officer numbers have fallen from about 25,000 to 18,000. Ms Truss said the prison system was under "serious and sustained pressure", with rising rates of violence and self-harm, constant threats to prison staff and missed opportunities to reform.
At the same time, the number of prisoners has risen slightly. She said the cost of reoffending by former prisoners to society was estimated to be £15bn a year, adding: "We owe it to our hard-working prison staff to reverse these trends. We owe it to prisoners and their families. And we owe it to our communities and victims of crime."
The extra officers, costing £100m a year, will not restore staffing to the levels seen before 2010. The debate about a growing crisis in the prison service has increasingly focused on staff shortages, with officer numbers having fallen from about 25,000 to 18,000 since 2010.
The 2,100 extra officers are in addition to 400 new staff announced by Ms Truss last month, which means a total of 2,500 new recruits joining the service.
They are due to be in place by the end of 2018 at a cost of £100m a year, but will still leave staffing short of the levels seen before 2010.
The number of prisoners has risen slightly over the same period.
How dangerous are our prisons?How dangerous are our prisons?
The prison officers helping ex-prisoners
Drugs and tension: Inside WandsworthDrugs and tension: Inside Wandsworth
'Worst state for a decade''Worst state for a decade'
Ms Truss told BBC Breakfast the extra staff "will enable us to have a dedicated officer for each six prisoners".Ms Truss told BBC Breakfast the extra staff "will enable us to have a dedicated officer for each six prisoners".
"That's the ratio that we can operate at to make sure that each prisoner gets that individual support that helps them reform, get off drugs, get into work, but also keeps the prison safe". "That's the ratio that we can operate at to make sure that each prisoner gets that individual support that helps them reform, get off drugs, get into work, but also keeps the prison safe."
But staff levels are not the only issue, she said, adding: "It's also about tackling the drones, the drugs, the phones". But staff levels were not the only issue, she said, adding: "It's also about tackling the drones, the drugs, the phones."
The debate around escalating levels of violence, suicide and self-harm in prisons has increasingly focused on staff shortages.
Latest figures show a new high of 65 assaults in jails every day.Latest figures show a new high of 65 assaults in jails every day.
In the year to June, assaults on staff jumped by 43% to 5,954, with 697 of these recorded as serious.In the year to June, assaults on staff jumped by 43% to 5,954, with 697 of these recorded as serious.
Union leaders warned on Wednesday that prisons were facing bloodbaths unless more staff were recruited and retained.Union leaders warned on Wednesday that prisons were facing bloodbaths unless more staff were recruited and retained.
Steve Gillan, of the Prison Officers Association (POA), said proper staffing levels were needed if officers - not inmates - were to be in charge of jails.Steve Gillan, of the Prison Officers Association (POA), said proper staffing levels were needed if officers - not inmates - were to be in charge of jails.
He told BBC Breakfast: "The reality is this government has caused the problem - they've cut the staffing levels, they've taken so much money out of the system that the system is broken.He told BBC Breakfast: "The reality is this government has caused the problem - they've cut the staffing levels, they've taken so much money out of the system that the system is broken.
"And my union will not stand by and watch our members become punch bags on a daily basis". "And my union will not stand by and watch our members become punchbags on a daily basis."
He said the POA would consider industrial action if it cannot reach an agreement with the government by 11 November. He said the POA would consider industrial action beyond the 11 November deadline it has set for the government to take action over prison violence.
Measures expected in the Prison Safety and Reform White Paper include:Measures expected in the Prison Safety and Reform White Paper include:
Warnings have also come from prisoners on the inside, with one inmate at London's Pentonville telling the BBC that knives are flown in by drones and razors are melted into toothbrushes to make weapons.Warnings have also come from prisoners on the inside, with one inmate at London's Pentonville telling the BBC that knives are flown in by drones and razors are melted into toothbrushes to make weapons.
Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon said Ms Truss needed to "regain the trust of prison governors and prison officers" with her speech.Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon said Ms Truss needed to "regain the trust of prison governors and prison officers" with her speech.
"Without a comprehensive plan to deal with these issues then her speech will be nothing more than empty words and a blatant PR stunt.""Without a comprehensive plan to deal with these issues then her speech will be nothing more than empty words and a blatant PR stunt."
Mr Gillan said: "We all know the statistics - Liz Truss herself has conceded... to us in a meeting that the prisons are full of violence and in some cases out of control. Dame Sally Coates, a former head teacher who carried out a review of education in prisons for the government earlier this year, said the extra officers pledge was "probably not going to be enough, but it's a start".
"She concedes that they are awash with drugs and that we have many problems within our system. That's why we've said we want the here and now dealt with, and the health and safety of prisoners and staff. And that's not being addressed". She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme officers should be trained to be more than just "turnkeys" whose only job was to lock people up.
Dame Sally Coates, a former head teacher who carried out a review of education in prisons for the government earlier this year, said the extra officers pledge is "probably not going to be enough, but it's a start". Dame Sally said: "If we are really really going to change prisons… they have to be able to do more than that.
She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme officers should be trained to be more than just "turn keys" whose only job is to lock people up. "They are working with some of the most vulnerable, disaffected, violent members of society and yet they're often unskilled, untrained, have very little personal or professional development."
Dame Sally said: "If we are really really going to change prisons… they have to be able to do more than that - they are working with some of the most vulnerable, disaffected, violent members of society and yet they're often unskilled, untrained, have very little personal or professional development."
Ms Truss said her reform plans addressed not just violence in prison, but reoffending rates.Ms Truss said her reform plans addressed not just violence in prison, but reoffending rates.
She said: "Within a year almost 50% of those who've just left prison are likely to commit another crime. And that costs £15 billion to society and of course huge human misery. She said: "Within a year almost 50% of those who've just left prison are likely to commit another crime. And that costs £15bn to society and of course huge human misery.
"So as well as getting the violence down, my reform plans are designed to get prisoners into work, off drugs, get the education they need - so that when they leave prison they contribute to society rather than committing crime"."So as well as getting the violence down, my reform plans are designed to get prisoners into work, off drugs, get the education they need - so that when they leave prison they contribute to society rather than committing crime".
Last month, Ms Truss announced an extra 400 prison officers would be recruited, which means there will be 2,500 new recruits joining the service altogether. In echoes of her predecessor Michael Gove's reform plans, Ms Truss also plans to give governors more say over how their prisons are run and make sure they are held to account for levels of reoffending and drug misuse.
In echoes of her predecessor Michael Gove's reform plans, Ms Truss is also planning to give governors more say over how their prisons are run and make sure they are held to account for levels of reoffending and drug misuse.
If jails are assessed to be failing, the justice secretary will have a new legal duty to intervene.