The number of prison officers disciplined for having illicit relationships with inmates has soared, according to official data covering England and Wales.
The number of officers reprimanded for “inappropriate” relationships with prisoners or former inmates has nearly tripled, from 12 in 2017/18 to 32 in 2024/5.
Inexperienced Female Staff Involved
Many cases involved inexperienced female staff who formed romantic or sexual relationships with the prisoners, according to the data.
Some incidents saw officers being enticed to smuggle drugs into prison or turn a blind eye to mobile phone use.
Call for Better Training and Recruitment
Ian Acheson, an ex-prison governor and former government adviser, called for better training and recruitment of prison officers.
He said: “It is clearly related to poorly selected and poorly trained people with no life experience being thrown into jails holding sophisticated prisoners.”
“The lack of experience, staff shortages and the lack of supervision makes sexual boundary violations that much more possible.”
“If we are recruiting people... who need additional training not to have sex with prisoners, it says much about just how unattractive the job of a prison officer has become.”
Ministry of Justice Response
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “Any relationship between prisoners and members of staff is inappropriate.”
“We don’t hesitate to take the toughest action against any staff that fall below our high standards.”
