Officer numbers plummet in two Midlands jails

HMP Featherstone and HMYOI Brinsford have seen staff numbers plummet since September 2010, according to a new report.

Research published by Howard League for Penal Reform, a charity which works towards having less people in prison, shows that in the West Midlands as a whole, the number has fallen by almost a quarter.

In September 2010, HMP Featherstone had 237 prison officers, but by the same month three years later it had just 140, a drop of more than 40 per cent.

At HMYOI Brinsford, the number fell by 33 per cent, from 150 to 100 in the same period.

MP for South Staffordshire Gavin Williamson, whose constituency includes both jails, said: "What we want to make sure is that prisons are fully resourced and I think people would be very interested to know why the numbers of prison officers have dropped.

"The other thing we must make sure is that there is sufficient resources in place in order to deliver safe and secure prisons, not just for those people inside the prison, but also for those who live in the surrounding areas."

The report also alleges that suicides, prisoner on prisoner attacks and rioting have increased in the same period.

Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: "The prison system is at breaking point.

"Everyone should be concerned at the crisis in prisons as when people come out of jail they are more likely to inflict more crime on us.

"Ministers and various MPs have used different figures to try to minimise the impact of prison closures, but the statistics in this report show the true picture.

"Governors, inspectors and prison officers are joining the Howard League in warning the government that prisons are not just failing, they are dangerous."

"Violence and drug use is out of control and we will all suffer the consequences. This is the most irresponsible government penal policy in a generation."

Last month it was claimed that five assaults had been made of officers at HMP Featherstone in the space of three days.

Allegations revealed serious concerns over the prison and include claims of assaults on officers and 'unsafe' staffing levels.

Earlier this year there were called for HMYOI Brinsford to close after inspectors found that inmates were living in 'squalid conditions' among the worst they'd ever seen.

Inmates were living in dirty cells without windows panes and there was no toilet screening in a number of shared cells, HM Inspectorate of Prisons said after an inspection.