THE prison officers’ union has warned against “political posturing” by parties in the run-up to the general amid a crisis in Britain’s jails.
Labour condemned the deepening crisis in the prison and probation service today, but said nothing about what the party would do about it if elected to government.
The party stated that the amount of time taken off sick in 2023 by prison and probation officers for mental health reasons totalled the equivalent of 774 years.
It gave details of the crisis, which has regularly been reported in the Morning Star, including widespread drug abuse in prisons, suicides, self-harm, overcrowding, violence – including against prison officers – and shortages of staff.
Prison overcrowding has forced the government to order early release for some dangerous prisoners before they have completed rehabilitation training and their sentences.
Labour shadow justice minister Shabana Mahmood said prisons had become “drug-addled, rat-infested colleges of crime which march to a drumbeat of violence and misery” under the Conservatives.
But Labour made no proposals to end the crisis. Instead, Ms Mahmood made pledged that Labour would “get a grip of the prison and probation service.”
Prison Officers’ Association (POA) general secretary Steve Gillan said: “The prison crisis has taken its toll on POA members with increased violence against them, an increase of prisoner drug taking, suicides, self-harm and large-scale incidents.
“POA members witness things that no other member of the public gets to see.
“It is no wonder, given the pressure they are under with less staff and more prisoners, that it is having an effect on their mental well-being.”
But he warned: “The last thing though that we need is political parties posturing. What we need is solutions to the crisis.”
The POA has previously warned that the union may take legal action against the government if the crisis becomes so bad that prisons are in breach of safety laws through overcrowding.
Prison officers were barred from taking strike action by the Conservative government under Prime Minister John Major in 1994.
The POA is campaigning for the legislation to be rescinded.
