Attack on a prison officer at HMP Woodhill

Yet more violence against staff

I was at the Prison Officers Association conference when I heard the news this morning. Another officer has been attacked by a prisoner. This time it’s at HMP Woodhill where a prisoner has slashed at the throat of a member of staff. In 2023 Woodhill received an ‘urgent notification’ from HM Inspector of Prisons, in which Charlie Taylor, Chief Inspector of Prisons, gave the jail the lowest possible score for safety. Violence and drug taking were high and rising, and he had serious concerns about staffing levels. Given today’s news the jail may well receive another Urgent Notification. 

The attack is yet another reminder of how dangerous our prisons are. Thankfully in this case I understand that the victim is expected to make a full recovery. But unless something changes I fear it’s only a matter of time before a prison officer is killed.

Frontline prison staff often tolerate an astonishing level of violence. I spoke with one man who has been assaulted dozens of times in the course of his career. No one I’ve met seems surprised about the news from Woodhill. This morning a delegate spoke movingly about a brutal assault on his colleague. At the time he believed ‘this will make them change things’. But he feels that things have become worse, and that Prison Service management are detached from the reality of life on the landings, suggesting children’s books to distract inmates from committing violence. Another delegate, from HMP Whatton said that while most long-standing staff have been assaulted, most governors have not ‘because they’ve spent such little time on the landing’ (because they’re often fast-tracked through the system).

It is not right that our jails are this unsafe. Neither staff nor prisoners benefit from being in an environment of constant threat. If our jails are to provide the rehabilitation we desire they have to be places of safety. This requires a culture shift within the Ministry of Justice. We need to be realistic about the dangers faced by prison staff, and provide them with proper protective equipment.

Tomorrow, Phil Copple, CEO of HMPPS and Lord Timpson, the Prisons Minister, will both address the POA conference. Delegates here hope they will have an opportunity to ask questions from the floor. I hope they do. If the leadership want the prison system to work then they need to listen to the brave men and women on the front line.