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| Loss of senior managers led to UK’s prison crisis | Loss of senior managers led to UK’s prison crisis |
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| Hundreds of senior staff and management have left the Prison Service in the past five years without being replaced, new figures reveal, which has led to “dangerous” flaws in the system, according to campaigners. | Hundreds of senior staff and management have left the Prison Service in the past five years without being replaced, new figures reveal, which has led to “dangerous” flaws in the system, according to campaigners. |
| The exodus of crucial experienced staff has coincided with record levels of assaults, suicides and self-harm in jails in England and Wales and forced the government to take action to increase prison officer numbers after almost a decade of cuts. | The exodus of crucial experienced staff has coincided with record levels of assaults, suicides and self-harm in jails in England and Wales and forced the government to take action to increase prison officer numbers after almost a decade of cuts. |
| Official figures obtained by the Observer from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) under freedom of information legislation show that 40 senior prison managers have left in the past five years but only two have joined – one of whom quit less than a year later. There were 205 outgoing managers compared with 23 incoming, while only a single replacement was hired in place of 295 custodial managers. | Official figures obtained by the Observer from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) under freedom of information legislation show that 40 senior prison managers have left in the past five years but only two have joined – one of whom quit less than a year later. There were 205 outgoing managers compared with 23 incoming, while only a single replacement was hired in place of 295 custodial managers. |
| Thousands of years’ worth of vital prisons experience, built up over decades, has been lost for good as valued staff are axed | Thousands of years’ worth of vital prisons experience, built up over decades, has been lost for good as valued staff are axed |
| About 17,000 staff left the service between 2012 and 2016, with 106 operational managers exiting in 2016, up from 47 in 2012. The only net increase came in non-operational roles, with 52 more psychologists and 142 more administrative assistants. | |
| The revelations will pile further pressure on the government to reconsider its policy of outsourcing prisons to private contractors. The MoJ had to draft in an extra 30 prison officers to HMP Birmingham last week after being forced to take the G4S-run institution back into state control. An inspection found the jail to be “in a state of crisis” with drug use rife and blood, vomit and cockroaches in the corridors. The chief inspector of prisons, Peter Clarke, said gangs could perpetrate violence “with near impunity” and that staff were afraid and experienced bullying. | The revelations will pile further pressure on the government to reconsider its policy of outsourcing prisons to private contractors. The MoJ had to draft in an extra 30 prison officers to HMP Birmingham last week after being forced to take the G4S-run institution back into state control. An inspection found the jail to be “in a state of crisis” with drug use rife and blood, vomit and cockroaches in the corridors. The chief inspector of prisons, Peter Clarke, said gangs could perpetrate violence “with near impunity” and that staff were afraid and experienced bullying. |
| Separate figures released by the MoJ forecast the prison population in England and Wales, which has nearly doubled since 1993, would grow by more than 3,200 over the next five years to 86,400 by March 2023. More than half of prisons are now “overcrowded” by their own definition. | Separate figures released by the MoJ forecast the prison population in England and Wales, which has nearly doubled since 1993, would grow by more than 3,200 over the next five years to 86,400 by March 2023. More than half of prisons are now “overcrowded” by their own definition. |
| Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said it “could take a decade” to repair the loss of leadership and experience. “Prisons are having a crisis of middle management and this could pose considerable dangers,” she said. “While it’s good to bring in young blood to work for the prison service, like with any profession they need help and guidance. If there’s a rat infestation or a riot, you need to be able to turn to someone with years of experience.” | Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said it “could take a decade” to repair the loss of leadership and experience. “Prisons are having a crisis of middle management and this could pose considerable dangers,” she said. “While it’s good to bring in young blood to work for the prison service, like with any profession they need help and guidance. If there’s a rat infestation or a riot, you need to be able to turn to someone with years of experience.” |
| Peter Dawson, director of the Prison Reform Trust, agreed. “Many governors welcome the opportunity that recruiting new staff represents – but not in prisons where confidence has collapsed and new officers have to learn their craft in the midst of fear and chaos,” he said. “It is no accident that when a prison has got out of hand, the response normally includes reducing prisoner numbers.That is the relief that the system as a whole also needs if new staff are to stay and become competent.” | Peter Dawson, director of the Prison Reform Trust, agreed. “Many governors welcome the opportunity that recruiting new staff represents – but not in prisons where confidence has collapsed and new officers have to learn their craft in the midst of fear and chaos,” he said. “It is no accident that when a prison has got out of hand, the response normally includes reducing prisoner numbers.That is the relief that the system as a whole also needs if new staff are to stay and become competent.” |
| Earlier this year the Observer revealed that since 2010 prisons in England and Wales have lost a combined 70,000 years of officer experience. The number of prison officers with less than three years’ experience has more than doubled. | Earlier this year the Observer revealed that since 2010 prisons in England and Wales have lost a combined 70,000 years of officer experience. The number of prison officers with less than three years’ experience has more than doubled. |
| Richard Burgon, shadow justice secretary, said: “Across all grades, there are still nearly 7,000 fewer staff in the Prison Service than when the Tories came to office. That is the root cause of the repeated crisis in our prisons – a situation that has now clearly become a prisons emergency. But these problems run much deeper than a simple head count. Thousands of years’ worth of vital prisons experience, built up over decades, has been lost for good as valued staff are axed or leave because of ever-worsening conditions. This poses a long-term threat to the stability of our prisons and underlines the recklessness of the government’s race to-the-bottom in our prisons system.” | Richard Burgon, shadow justice secretary, said: “Across all grades, there are still nearly 7,000 fewer staff in the Prison Service than when the Tories came to office. That is the root cause of the repeated crisis in our prisons – a situation that has now clearly become a prisons emergency. But these problems run much deeper than a simple head count. Thousands of years’ worth of vital prisons experience, built up over decades, has been lost for good as valued staff are axed or leave because of ever-worsening conditions. This poses a long-term threat to the stability of our prisons and underlines the recklessness of the government’s race to-the-bottom in our prisons system.” |
| A Prison Service spokesperson said: “The proportion of senior managers in the service has not changed since 2011. As with any other organisation, we often promote staff with extensive experience to fill roles vacated when, for example, people retire.” | A Prison Service spokesperson said: “The proportion of senior managers in the service has not changed since 2011. As with any other organisation, we often promote staff with extensive experience to fill roles vacated when, for example, people retire.” |
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