To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the ratio of prison officers to inmates in prisons in England and Wales was, by category of prison in each of the last five years.
Answered on
25 February 2020
The table below sets out the overall ratios of total prison officers to prisoners by category of prison for the past 5 years (for public sector prisons).
The table demonstrates a positive trend, with increasingly more prison officers to prisoners over time. We have invested significantly in increasing staff numbers, recruiting an additional 4,581 (full time equivalent) prison officers between October 2016 and September 2019, surpassing our original target of 2,500.
During periods of prisoner unlock, the minimum number of staff on each residential unit is determined by ‘Safe, Decent and Secure Operating Levels’ (SDSOLs) which are agreed in each establishment. Several factors influence SDSOLs such as design and size of a residential unit, specialist functions or prisoner cohort.
Table 1 - Ratio of Band 3 to 5 prison officers1 to prisoners in public sector prisons, by category of prison2,3, as at 30th June for years 2015 to 2019 | ||||||
30 Jun 2015 | 30 Jun 2016 | 30 Jun 2017 | 30 Jun 2018 | 30 Jun 2019 | ||
Cluster | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 3.6 | |
Female closed | 2.4 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 2.6 | |
Female local | 2.8 | 2.3 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 2.3 | |
Female open | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.1 | |
Immigration Removal Centre | 2.4 | 1.4 | 3.3 | 2.2 | 1.9 | |
Male category B | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 3.1 | |
Male category C | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 3.9 | |
Male closed YOI | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 2.9 | |
Male dispersal | 1.8 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.6 | |
Male local | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 2.8 | |
Male open | 7.5 | 8.0 | 8.3 | 7.9 | 8.3 | |
Male open YOI4 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 2.9 | |
Male YOI category C trainer4 | 1.5 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 2.2 | 2.0 | |
Male YOI (ages 15-21)4 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.8 | |
Male YOI (ages 15-17)4 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 1.1 | |
Total | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 3.1 | |
Notes |
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