Transforming the role of the prison officer

Context

The report begins by describing the numerous adjustments in our jail system over the past fifteen years particularly. It notes that adjustments in sentencing over the past 20 years assure that jail officers will in future be caring for folks spending a a lot bigger portion of their lives in custody. Concurrently, confidence in conventional working fashions for prisons has been undermined by a decade of violence, self-harm and dysfunction, and the bodily withdrawal of employees from nose to nose contact with prisoners legitimised through the pandemic.

On this radically altered context, Mr Dawson argues that  the jail service faces a extra profound query in regards to the composition of its future workforce than merely whether or not it may possibly recruit and retain sufficient folks.

He argues that being an excellent jail officer is a way more subtle and skilful job than the jail service at present displays in its essential human useful resource processes. If the jail service is to recruit and retain a workforce that may rise to the a number of challenges that it faces over the subsequent decade and past, it should develop a brand new and express imaginative and prescient for the function of theprison officer and the way in which that function must be supported.

The report argues that the perspective of prisoners is essential to re-defining the jail officer function. 

Key findings

The report highlights 4 key findings:

The present jail officer workforce faces unprecedented challenges stemming from staffing cuts produced from 2012 onwards resulting in a big lack of skilled employees, and subsequent fast recruitment of latest employees to deal with shortagesThe conventional mannequin of jail administration, based mostly on face-to-face relationships between officers and prisoners, is vulnerable to being misplaced because of excessive employees turnover and systemic pressuresPrisoners constantly recognized constructing rapport as essentially the most essential ability for efficient jail officersTechnology might doubtlessly cut back some burdens on officers, permitting extra time for relationship-building with prisoners

The report emphasises that whereas working in the direction of prisoners’ profitable return to society stays necessary, prisons should additionally give attention to creating significant lives for these in custody, significantly given the growing variety of prisoners serving very lengthy sentences.

“With so many prisoners spending many or all of their most efficient years within the care of the jail service, that point has to have which means in itself in addition to hope for what would possibly observe it.”

Whereas acknowledging the present operational challenges dealing with the jail service, the report argues that these shouldn’t forestall the implementation of needed strategic reforms to create a extra skilled and efficient jail officer workforce for the long run.

The report requires:

An expert registration system: Implementation of a compulsory registration system for jail officers, much like nursing, requiring common renewal and ongoing skilled developmentEnhanced coaching: A radical enhancement of preliminary coaching, skilled improvement, and supervision for jail officersImproved administration construction: Introduction of a most ratio of 1 supervisor to 10 officers, with common face-to-face remark of officer-prisoner interactionsPrisoner involvement: Better involvement of prisoners in each the design and supply of officer coaching and improvement programsBoard-level accountability: Appointment of an HR skilled at board stage with particular accountability for implementing these reforms

The report notes that the jail service has lately launched a brand new jail officer coaching programme referred to as Allow, which is being piloted in a couple of choose websites. The programme goals to enhance how jail officer coaching is delivered, the size of coaching officers obtain and crucially the help, management and psychological atmosphere required to make the coaching course of significant.

Commenting, the report’s creator Peter Dawson stated:

“The start line for a genuinely strategic strategy to creating and sustaining an efficient officer workforce have to be a clearer assertion of the aim of jail that each employees and prisoners can share. The jail service should resolve what its working mannequin for the long run is to be, correctly analyzing the character of the inhabitants for which will probably be caring. The muse for the nice majority of a lifestyle in jail ought to be the joint creation of secure, respectful and purposeful communities.”

Because of Andy Aitchison for variety permission to make use of the header picture on this put up. You’ll be able to see Andy’s work right here