'Soaring attacks on staff show a broken prison system. Labour needs a strategy' – LabourList

Many of us will have watched the unfolding picture with interest as inmates have been leaving prisons through the early release scheme over the last few weeks. The prison officers and custodial staff Community Union is proud to represent know that this necessary measure does not come without risk.

I’ve read commentators describing how our prison system has reached breaking point. In reality, we have been at that point for well over a decade now thanks to the systemic underfunding and neglect of the sector by the previous Conservative government.

Labour are now having to pick up the slack – and even take the political heat – for a situation they have inherited from the party which let the situation get worse and worse over 14 long years. The fact that a mere 500 prison places were added to the country’s stock under the Conservatives – despite the prison population doubling in the last 30 years – tells its own story.

It was the Tories who started releasing prisoners early

Let’s not forget that Operation Early Dawn – the ongoing plan to alleviate overcrowding by releasing some offenders early on licence – was first enacted by the Tories in 2022. It was a belated reaction to their own chronic mismanagement of the system. Nearly two years on, it remains an unwanted but necessary course of action for the government.

The Labour government has demonstrated that it is tough on crime – we saw this with the swift and effective action taken to lock up those who took part in far-right riots during the summer. At the same time, the government’s focus on punishing criminals will be dictated by the challenging circumstances it finds itself in: not least having to manage an ailing prison system which is set to have its capacity exhausted by next July.

In the long-term, there are big-picture policy questions to be asked about how we bring down reoffending and reduce the prison population. That could include an increase in community sentences, expanding the use of residential rehabilitation as an alternative to incarceration for offenders with addiction issues, increasing partnerships with vocational training providers in prisons, and investing in greater resettlement provision for prison leavers.

These are all discussions to be had, and Community is ready to contribute to those debates on behalf of members.

Prison isn’t the end of the story – prison staff must deal with those most of us want to avoid

In the immediate short-term though, my priority is the safety of our members on the frontline across the justice sector in the here and now.

Whilst it can be a relief for the public to know that offenders are being imprisoned, it’s important to remember that this is never the end of the story. Those individuals then become the responsibility of prison custody and correctional officers, court and prisoner escort drivers, electronic tagging and monitoring officers and others behind the scenes who keep the public safe by dealing with individuals that most of us would rather avoid.

READ MORE: Fiscal rules: What is Reeves changing – and why does it matter?

Sadly this work comes with real risks: risks that are accentuated by a growing prison population. Newly released stats show that there were 10,281 assaults on staff in the 12 months to June 2024 – a shocking 30% increase on the previous year. It’s part of a bleak established pattern now: there was a 297% increase in assaults on prison staff from 2010-2022, and roughly one in four justice and custodial sector workers are assaulted at least once a year.

It’s disgraceful and unacceptable that the workers who have been holding together a creaking prison system for over a decade are paying such a high price when it comes to their safety and wellbeing.

The government’s sentencing review must put prison staff safety at forefront

We welcome the government’s recognition that our prison system isn’t working, and the recent announcement of a review into sentencing – led by the former Lord Chancellor David Gauke – represents a potential step forward. Something needs to be done, and the government should never be forced into reactive measures as an act of necessity.

We need the 14,000 new prison places the government has committed to, but we also need to make sure that the workers who allow the system to operate are safe from harm. As a union representing thousands of justice and custodial sector workers across England and Wales, we would urge David Gauke to put the safety of our members – and the wider public – at the forefront of his review.
We need action on safety.

That means tougher responses to assaults on prison staff, minimum staffing levels included in all private sector prison contracts, improved incentives for retention of the experienced staff prisons need, and much higher standards of health and safety across the sector. That should also apply to our members in electronic tagging and monitoring officers who will see an increased workload as release licenses are increased to 12 months.

Our prison system has been a long time in the breaking, but we now have a government that is willing to acknowledge the crisis for what it is and take action to turn the page.

The message from our members on the frontline, experts and the general public is a clear one – we can’t go on like this. We need a comprehensive strategy for the renewal of our justice sector which protects frontline staff and the public. Community are ready to shape that strategy and support our members.

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