After the horrific attacks at Frankland, after last week’s attack at Belmarsh, and after countless warnings, today’s news of three separate assaults on prison staff is grim, but unsurprising. According to the Prison Officers Association (POA), two assaults occurred at HMP Woodhill, the jail near Milton Keynes which holds Tommy Robinson and a high number of Muslim prisoners. In one assault an inmate allegedly attacked an officer. In the other, believed to have taken place on a specialist unit within the jail, a prisoner was told to return to his cell, and is reported to have responded by slashing at the officer with an improvised weapon. That officer is said to have sustained serious injuries to their neck and ear, requiring stitches and surgical glue.
Meanwhile at HMP Gartree, a prisoner allegedly faked an epileptic fit before assaulting two staff, throwing a TV and breaking the wrist of a female officer.
Today’s news of three separate assaults on prison staff is grim, but unsurprising
These details are shocking. No one should have to work in an environment where they are under such constant threat of assault. But this is normal for many prison officers. This week I’ve been in Eastbourne for the Prison Officers Association annual conference. There I’ve been lucky enough to speak with many frontline staff with years or decades of service. Almost every one of them has been assaulted multiple times, often seriously. For these men and women it’s just a part of the job.
But many feel that prison governors and senior management within the prison service simply don’t understand the reality of working on the landings of our prisons. A delegate from HMP Whatton explained that while most long-serving frontline staff have been assaulted, most governors never have. This is ‘because they’ve spent such little time on the landings’, as a result of being fast-tracked to management.
Prison officers often develop PTSD, and this can be exacerbated when they feel unsupported by management. Many prison officers clearly feel a deep gulf between them and the governors, noting that managers often suggest ‘solutions’ which the frontline find ridiculous. One officer talked about a governor who suggested putting colourful children’s books on a wing prone to significant violence. This sense of total disconnect between staff and management is toxic and must compromise the prison service’s ability to function. As is often the case with failure in the justice system while more money and more staff would help matters, it’s the rotten culture which is at the root of the problem.
The Ministry of Justice has said:
‘Officers at HMP Woodhill attended hospital yesterday following two separate incidents. All were discharged on the same day… We will do whatever is necessary to keep our staff safe. The Lord Chancellor has announced a review into protective body armour and a trial of tasers in jails to better respond to serious incidents and will update shortly.’
But it’s not enough. As Steven Gillen, POA general secretary said:
‘Escalating levels of violence are out of control in the prison service in England and Wales. It appears that [HM Prison and Probation Service] have learned nothing. They continue to ignore the calls from our members on the front line for urgent action to protect Prison Officers from violence…We need action to protect Prison Officers before there is a fatality’.
Gillen is right. It’s only a matter of luck that one of the recent attacks hasn’t been fatal. Prisons, like the rest of British society are becoming more violent, and we need a clear-eyed, realist approach to managing that violence. Nothing good will come out of jails where staff and prisoners are in fear of their lives. Prison service leaders need to start listening to the brave men and women who face this violence every day.
Comments