PR 268: PRISON OFFICERS UNION RESPONDS TO THE REVIEW OF SENTENCING BY FORMER JUSTICE SECRETARY

Responding to the Review of sentencing by former Justice Secretary, David Gauke, Steve Gillan, General Secretary of the Prison Officers Association said:

“For years the POA has been calling for urgent action to address overcrowding and understaffing in our prisons and long term action to address offending and reoffending rates but successive Ministers have ignored our calls. 

We simply cannot continue with the same approach to sentencing and expect prisoner numbers to fall. As a trade union we also want a Royal Commission on sentencing to address both the fundamental issues around sentencing policy but also to examine the social and economic drivers of offending and reoffending behaviour. 

It is crystal clear that as a society we lock up too many people, many of whom would be better served if their addiction, mental health problems, poverty and other issues were addressed in the community.”

Mark Fairhurst National Chair of the POA added: 

“This report from David Gauke must not be another one that sits on the shelf and delivers nothing. Our members are stressed, exhausted and subject to increasing numbers of assaults and all the while they are working in overcrowded prisons whilst dealing with more and more issues of complex mental health, drugs misuse and self-harm episodes amongst the prisoner groups.

We need urgent action to address the overcrowding crisis starting with more staff, an improved estate and a recognition that our Prison Officers are not superhuman and able to work under such conditions until they are almost 70 and we need to stop sending people to prison whose needs would be much better served by services such as the NHS, social care, housing etc. ”

Ends

 

 

For further information, contact:

POA Press Office                                                  020 8803 0255 Option 7