Staring defeat in the face: Prisons Minister Rory Stewart has six months left of a pledge to tackle soaring prison violence within a year or quit
LABOUR is warning about a “state of emergency” in British jails after inmates rioted yet again at Bedford prison.
This weekend’s chaos at Bedford came as Prisons Minister Rory Stewart now has just six months to turn around Britain’s jails or step down from his job.
The Tory MP promised last summer he would resign if prison conditions did not improve within a year.
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
MARK FAIRHURST highlights the main issues facing officers in a long neglected service, and raised by front-line delegates at POA conference last week, including understaffing, violence, bullying and the ongoing denial of workers’ right to strike
