Committee takes evidence on staff shortages in prisons, and the probabtion service
The Justice Committee, a cross-party parliamentary committee that scrutinises the work of the Ministry of Justice, is continuing its inquiries into:
- the staffing of prisons, where high numbers of officers are leaving the service
- the Probation Service
Further information on the evidence sessions can be found below.
Meeting details
Staff shortages in prisons
The Justice Committee, a cross-party parliamentary committee that scrutinises the work of the Ministry of Justice, is continuing its inquiry into the staffing of prisons, where high numbers of officers are leaving the service.
The Ministry does not publish figures on vacancy rates for prison officers. However, there is widespread evidence of staff shortages which can result in prisoners being locked in cells for longer, fewer activities that can help rehabilitation, and less meaningful relationships between staff and prisoners.
The Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, said in his Annual Report 2021-22 that the flow of staff resignations in some prisons had become a flood. In prisons with long serving populations, he added, this meant prisoners knew much more about prison life than the staff.
Official statistics show that the proportion of total staff leaving the Prison Service each year has increased from 9.6 % in 2017 to 16% in 2022. Experienced prison officers are leaving, with less experienced staff now in charge. The Independent Monitoring Board, which monitors the treatment and conditions of prisoners and detainees, said more experienced staff who could de-escalate volatile situations had left. Between the years 2010 and 2022, Ministry statistics show prison officers with a total of 100,000 years of accumulated experience – or ‘jail craft’ - had left the Prison Service.
MPs are expected to probe these shortages and what they mean for the prison estate.
The government projects that the prison population will increase from around 80,000 now to above 100,000 by 2026 and is recruiting 5,000 more prison officers. The Committee will explore the steps the Government is taking to recruit those officers and the adequacy of their training. It will also look into whether, given retention rates, that number will be sufficient to reduce pressures on prison staff and support a return to a situation where prisons are able safely to provide a full programme of rehabilitation activities.
Challenges for the Probation Service
The Justice Committee scrutinises the work of the Ministry of Justice and is looking into the Probation Service through the lens of its inspection body, at a public evidence session with the Chief Inspector of Probation, Justin Russell, and the Head of Probation Inspection Programme, Simi O’Neill.
Two recent high-profile cases of offenders committing serious further offences while on probation – Damien Bendall and Jordan McSweeney – as well as a series of recent inspections that described probation services as “inadequate” or “requiring improvement” have highlighted areas of concern within the operation of the Probation Service.
MPs on the Justice Committee are likely to ask the witnesses about the failure of processes that have allowed serious re-offending while on probation – when, if guidelines had been followed, this might not have happened – as well the series of disappointing inspection results.
MPs will also ask about some of the underlying factors that may have contributed to these results. These include serious shortages of probation officers, poor retention of staff and slow recruitment processes.
A 2022 report by HM Inspectorate of Probation, on a group of probation service providers in London, said a “vicious circle” existed where staff shortages had led to larger caseloads for officers still in post - which in turn had led to staff seeking alternative employment.