GOVERNMENT plans to warehouse hundreds of young offenders in secure colleges dubbed “super prisons” were condemned yesterday by unions and Labour.
The proposed secure colleges would cater for hundreds of young people in detention, replacing existing young offenders’ institutions, secure training centres and children’s homes.
Plans are already under way for an initial college which would hold 320 boys and girls aged 12-18 at an estimated cost of £85m.
Our members face serious violence, crumbling workplaces and exposure to dangerous drugs — it is outrageous we still cannot legally use our industrial muscle to fight back and defend ourselves, writes STEVE GILLAN
The announcement of a Women’s Justice Board should be cautiously welcomed, writes SABINA PRICE, but we need to see a recognition that our prison system is in crisis and disproportionately punishes some of the most vulnerable people in society
Working in a high-risk sector, prison officers’ calls for proper PPE must be heeded – and the POA will be fighting to ensure effective protection at work is delivered, writes MARK FAIRHURST



