Press releases

REF: PR/57/07

DATE: 16th November 2007

To: ALL POLITICAL
ALL INDUSTRIAL CORRESPONDENTS

PRESS RELEASE
NO EMBARGO

Prison Population Forces the Service into Crisis Management

As the prison population reaches a record high, the Prison Service have been forced into taking draconian measures to manage the prison population.

As prisons across the country are forced to lock prisoners out because there is no room, the Prisons Board are forcing prisoners who are at risk into unsuitable and unsafe accommodation.

Colin Moses National Chairman of the POA said:

“It is a sad day when the Prison Service resorts to putting female prisoners into segregation units as they try to manage the prison population.

“We have a duty of care to all prisoners in our care and it is not acceptable to put prisoners in establishments over and above their operational capacity. This action will endanger the health and wellbeing of prisoners and we can only hope that the service does not face a tragic occurrence as a result of these draconian actions”.

Brian Caton General Secretary of the POA said:

“We are constantly reacting to serious population pressures rather than dealing with the real problems. Our prisons are being used as warehouses and we will face serious unrest and /or a death as a result of this crisis management.

The POA calls on the government to take immediate action to relieve the pressures on the service; penny pinching policies will not staff prisons safely”.

For further information contact:
POA Press Office: 020 8803 0255 Option 7

< Back