The appalling state of HMP Pentonville is one of the clearest examples of the crisis facing the country’s prisons a union leader has said.
Latest News
CIRC 048: National Chair Update july 2025
Please bring the contents of this circular to the attention of all POA members.
CIRC 047: YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO A TAX REFUND
If you pay tax, there’s a fairly high chance you’ve paid too much.
CIRC 046: NEC MINUTES
Please find attached NEC minutes for the 25th June 2025 for your information.
CIRC 045: ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2026
Further to POA Circular 41/2024.
Action Zone
Listen now to episode 64 of the POA Podcast - Members' benefits from POA Protect - Click here
Parliament petition for reducing retirement age
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/725069
I am an officer and POA member at HMP Frankland. I was left horrified and upset by the attack on my friends and colleagues on 12th April 2025.
I, like many people, came to the decision that enough is enough, and it is time for change for the better where prison safety and the welfare of staff is concerned. I decided to start a Parliament petition to reduce the minimum retirement age to 60. Although the immediate priorities, in the wake of recent serious assaults on staff, are improvements to safety and a reduction in violence, I believed that this was an issue that all staff could get behind immediately and advocate for.
Opportunity to work in the Caribbean
Salterton Associates are forming a cadre of former UK Prison Officers to assist certain Caribbean Islands in times of emergency / natural disaster. Click here to find out more
Prison Officers’ Association - Advert to ex-prison staff
Did you work at Medomsley Detention Centre, or interact with anyone who did? The PPO needs to hear from you. Click here to read more
We can help
Need legal advice?
Visit the legal section for advice, details of who to contact, and to access legal forms
“The support from my union and Thompsons has been faultless. It’s reassuring to know that my family are now financially secure and we don’t have to worry about the cost of any treatment.”
Six-figure compensation awarded to Prison Officers’ Association member with lung cancer
Why join the POA?
We’ll support you when you have a problem at work and work to improve your Terms and Conditions. But that’s not all we’re about. Being a POA member also gives you access to a whole host of other benefits.
POA members gain from a wide range of benefits negotiated by your Union - with potential savings far above the cost of annual subscription! These are regularly updated and cover everything from lifestyle to health, motoring, technology, shopping, charity support, legal and financial. Here is a small sample:
- Health and wellbeing – savings, discounts, eyecare, counselling, rehabilitation services
- Legal Services – Personal Injury, Employment, Deaths in Custody, Will Writing
- Cars – breakdown cover, purchase discounts, hire, new and used vehicles
- Leisure and Travel – short breaks, holidays, car hire, travel insurance
- Financial Services – advisory services, savings and loans, cashbacks and discounts, help with difficulties, tax
- Insurance – Life Assurance, Income Protection, Vehicle and Home, Pet, Travel insurance
- Technology and Mobiles – group discount schemes
- Charities offering assistance to members – distress and hardship relief, money and debt problems, allowance and grants, confidential helpline
- Shop – food and household brands, goods and luxury items, payment cashback card, Blue Light discount card.
Representing over 30,000 Prison, Correctional and Secure Psychiatric Workers, the POA is the largest UK Union in this sector, able to trace its roots back more than 100 years.