Fewer assaults at Woodhill prison – despite workers' union warning situation in England is 'totally out of control'

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Fewer assaults are taking place at Woodhill prison, new figures show.

But across England, prison safety has hit a crisis point, with a workers' union warning the increase of violence is "totally out of control".

Figures from the Ministry of Justice show 231 assaults were recorded at Woodhill prison last year – down from 328 the year before.

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This included 72 prisoner-on-prisoner assaults and 157 assaults on staff.

Nationally, prison assaults are on the increaseNationally, prison assaults are on the increase
Nationally, prison assaults are on the increase

However, despite the fall in the number of incidents, the rate of assaults rose slightly from 651 per 1,000 prisoners in September 2023 to 656 last September.

Meanwhile, the rate of all assaults in prisons across England increased by 14% last year, while the rate of serious assaults rose by 13%.

The latter was partly driven by a 22% increase in the rate of serious assaults on staff, with nearly 1,000 incidents recorded.

Of those, five took place in Woodhill.

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Steve Gillan from the Prison Officers Association warned the increase in the number of incidents is "totally out of control".

Mr Gillan blamed the rise on staff shortages, saying high numbers are leaving due to “the increase in violence and unsafe staffing levels.”.

He added: "Austerity measures are to blame with vicious budget cuts to a vital service that can only be described as financial vandalism.

"POA members have a difficult job to do on behalf of society and we need the tools to do that job safely."

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Mr Gillan called on the Government to focus on retaining existing prison staff by improving pay and working conditions, and to "safely" reduce the number of prisoners while increasing staff numbers.

He added the criminal justice system is "totally broken", and that "it is left to my members to pick the pieces up from failed policies over the last 15 years".

The rate of self-harm in prisons across England is also on the rise, increasing by 11% in the year to September.

At Woodhill prison, there were 514 self-harm incidents recorded – down from 801 in the previous year.

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Ellen Green, deputy CEO at the Prison Advice and Care Trust, said these figures are "deeply worrying" and "demonstrate the scale of the crisis" the Government faced when it took office last year.

Ms Green added: "It’s a crisis that results from political decisions stretching back decades. Prisons have endured years of funding cuts whilst locking up more and more people for longer and longer.

"It’s extremely difficult for hard-working prison staff to create places of rehabilitation when self-harm and violence are at such high levels."

She said the Government has started taking "much needed steps" to address prison overcrowding, but called for sustained investment to tackle the lack of safety in jail and ensure prisoners are "offered an opportunity to make a fresh start when they leave."

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A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "These shocking statistics clearly illustrate the prisons crisis this Government inherited last summer.

"There are far too many attacks on our hardworking staff and deeply concerning levels of self-harm.

"We’ve already taken difficult but necessary immediate action to stop our prisons from collapsing."

They added the Government has "already taken difficult but necessary immediate action" to tackle the issue, and is implementing lasting measures to increase prison capacity and limit reoffending and crime.

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