Assaults on prison staff double in just a decade

摘要

New National Statistics figures show that the number and rate of assaults on prison staff was Lower in the 12 months to September 2021 than during the previous year. There were, however, increases in the three months to September 2021, while the total is now twice that reported in 2011. The rate of assaults remained broadly flat between September 2011 and 2014, after which it rose steadily to a peak in 2019. Releasing the figures on 27 January1, National Statistics, advises that falls of 5% in the total prison population, and reduced contacts because of the risk of COVID-19 infection, mean that comparisons with previous years should be treated with caution. The figures cover public and private prisons. In the year to September 2021 ("2020/21"), there were 7,780 assaults by prisoners on prison staff, which was 8% below the previous year's total of 8,492. The rate of assaults on staff decreased by 5% to 99 per 1,000 prisoners in 2020/21. In the last three months of the period, however, the number of assaults increased by 5% to 2,110 incidents. Of the 7,780 assaults, 719 were serious -a decrease of 12% from the previous 12 months and a rate of nine per 1,000 prisoners. In the last quarter, the number of serious assaults on staff increased by 18% to 204 incidents.