The Latest Breaking News from the Prison Service

Two-thirds of prisons officially overcrowded in England and Wales

HMP Wandsworth holding more extra prisoners than any other jail despite recent high-profile problems

The Guardian - UK · Oct 15, 2023

Prisons struggle to keep staff as officers leave for Border Force and police

Many opt for ‘less stressful’ jobs at ports and airports, while senior officers say young staff quit as they don’t like to be without phones

The Guardian - UK · Sep 28, 2023

Young inexperienced prison officers at risk of ‘grooming’ from most dangerous criminals

Exclusive: Nearly a third of prison officers at category A, high-security jails have fewer than three years of experience

The Independent UK · Sep 27, 2023

‘Almost certain’ terror suspect who escaped Wandsworth prison had inside help

Exclusive: Security official tells The Independent the escape was ‘orchestrated not opportunistic’ – as it’s revealed inmate was questioned over spying for Iran

The Independent UK · Sep 7, 2023

‘Astonishing failure’ at prison holding hundreds of sex offenders

Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor called for a series of improvements at HMP Risley in Cheshire.

The Independent UK · Jul 24, 2023

I started work as a prison officer full of optimism, but in a rat-infested jail I saw the ugly, violent reality

Cuts and staff attrition made the job stagnant and stressful, and the toll became too heavy, says author Alex South

The Guardian - UK · Jul 10, 2023

Sinn Fein not signing statement on removal of Prison Service recruitment posters a 'backwards step', says DUP

But Sinn Fein said its "support for the Prison Service and the PSNI is consistent"

Belfast Live · Jun 26, 2023

Why are trans rights in prison so rarely defended?

The horse has bolted in this upside-down, bad-faith discourse, but it’s worth examining how we got here, says Guardian columnist Zoe Williams

The Guardian - UK · Jun 1, 2023

How we met: ‘My guide dog could have gone up to anyone in the pub but he picked Gayle’

Lee, 53, and Gayle, 50, met in a pub 31 years ago when his service dog, Toby, took an instant liking to her. They live in Cardiff

The Guardian - UK · May 25, 2023

Indefinite jail terms are state-sanctioned cruelty

Letters: Readers respond to George Monbiot’s article about imprisonment for public protection, which has left hundreds of prisoners languishing in jails with little hope of release

The Guardian - UK · May 22, 2023