Prison Officers Years of Experience 2021-05-18
2021-05-18
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Direct Answer
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Context
86,000 years of prison officer experience have been lost since 2010. This loss has affected safety in prisons.
What recent estimate his Department has made of the cumulative number of years of experience held by currently serving prison officers?
As at 31 December 2020, the cumulative length of service by all band 3 to 5 prison officers was more than 243,000 years. From late 2016 to the end of December 2020, the number of prison officers has increased by more than 3,600.
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Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
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Context
86,000 years of prison officer experience have been lost since 2010. This has affected safety in prisons.
We both know that being a prison officer is a difficult job that takes years of experience to perfect, yet a combined 86,000 years of experience has been lost since 2010. Does he accept that this has had a catastrophic effect on safety, and will he commit to giving prison officers the pay rise his experts recommend to tackle the problem?
Our prison officers received between 2.5% and 7.5% increases last year despite difficult financial situations. We are also investing heavily in security equipment including PAVA spray, SPEAR training, body-worn video cameras.
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Assessment & feedback
commitment to pay rise
Working With Partners
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
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Context
Violence in prisons has increased significantly since 2010. Self-harm has doubled, and assaults on staff have tripled.
The Minister must surely recognise that there are consequences to 86,000 years of staff experience being lost since 2010 because what happens when there are not enough experienced staff can be summed up in one word: violence. In 2019, violence was 134% higher than in 2010. Even last year, with prisoners locked up alone, violence was 38% higher. Self-harm has doubled and assaults on staff have tripled. Experience matters. With further cuts coming, thanks to the Minister's friends in the Treasury, will he recognise this? How is he going to make our prisons safer?
The leaving rate for prison officers has decreased by nearly 3%. Violence in terms of assaults on prison officers has gone down by 20%.
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Assessment & feedback
acknowledgement of violence increase
Working With Partners
Response accuracy