Political News: Warm words are not enough

Mary Kelly Foy, Labour MP for City of Durham, explains why prison officers deserve far more respect and reward from society for the vital service they perform 

There are three prisons within the boundaries of the constituency I represent: HMP Frankland, HMP Low Newton and HMP Durham. City of Durham is home to hundreds of prison officers and many more travel in to work in its prisons. I see it as my duty to listen to them all and what I hear is that prison officers feel devalued and neglected – they are, in many ways, the forgotten key workers.

Prison officers undertake demanding and dangerous work every day in order to create a secure environment for those inside our prisons and to keep the wider public safe. There can’t be many more important roles in society and there is no way they should be devalued. However, from the emails that land in my inbox and from messages I get via social media, it’s clear that many prison staff feel that their safety and security is taken for granted.

Coronavirus has made that work even more fraught with risks. Within Durham’s prisons, there have been a series of Covid-19 outbreaks. I have heard about these outbreaks and the risks they pose from POA trade union reps on the front line. They understand that the risk of infection goes far beyond the walls of the prison – into their families and the communities they live in.

At HMP Frankland, the situation became severe in November. At the peak of the outbreak, around 8% of the prison population had tested positive. In addition, around 220 staff were off work, with 73 operational staff Covid-19 positive. Both Public Health England and the prison outbreak control team, supported by the POA, recommended that the prison move from stage 4 restrictions to stage 5, in what would have been, in effect, a complete lockdown.

Despite overwhelming support for these temporary measures (a “circuit break” of sorts), Gold Command rejected the recommendation and instead reduced the number of prisoners allowed to exercise at any one time and the frequency of exercise, mandated mask wearing and increased testing.

Whilst I understand the pressures that prison leaderships are under, as well as the need to balance staff and prisoner safety with prisoners’ human rights, I am concerned that Gold Command seemingly rejected the initial advice of public health professionals and those on the front line.

There is a human element to these situations. Prison officers work in a job where social distancing is often impossible and where the prisoners they care for are not always compliant. That places an incredible level of stress on staff.

Which brings me to the respect that society affords prison officers. In December, the government rejected the recommendation from an independent body, the Prison Service Pay Review Body, to raise the salaries of prison officers on the frontline. That was nothing less than a kick in the teeth for hard-working and loyal public servants.

The government claims that this pay rise is “unaffordable”. I agree with the POA that the consequences of not paying prison staff properly are far more serious. Officers will vote with their feet and leave the service they love – taking with them vital experience we can’t afford to lose after a decade of staff cuts.

Even the Prisons Minister admits that problems with staff recruitment, retention and morale “have an effect on prison safety and security”, but this is made worse by what can only be described as a vicious cycle of violence: prisons get more dangerous as more officers leave – and more officers leave as prisons get more dangerous.

If the government really valued and respected the work that key workers do, including prison officers, it would do more than offer warm words and the occasional round of applause – it would reward them fairly. No ifs, no buts.