Prison staff at ‘breaking point’ amid urgent need to ease overcrowding, union warns
The new government is being urged to invest in the UK’s prisons amid warnings that staff have reached “breaking point”.
The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) said there was an urgent need to ease overcrowding and avoid staff burnout.
The union said its members working in offender management units to prepare prisoners for release have been put under “massive pressure” to free up cell spaces.
PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “Many of our members working in prisons have reached breaking point because of the long hours they’re working and the stress of not knowing when they will be given additional tasks to free up cells.
“Overcrowding leads to unsafe prisons – increased violence, increased time in cells with little access to rehabilitation and preparation for release, all of which heightens the risk to staff.
“We’re not prepared to accept that risk, nor are we prepared to accept the burnout, stress, exhaustion and impact on the work-balance on our members.”
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