§ 100. Mr. Awberyasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the present prison accommodation in Great Britain for both sexes; how many prisoners are now undergoing sentence; what are the normal staffing requirements of our prisons and what is the present staff; how many new prisons are required to house the prison population; and what steps are being taken to obtain recruits for prison warders.
§ Sir H. Lucas-ToothOn 14th instant the last convenient date, there was accommodation in prisons in England and Wales for 18,714 men prisoners and 1,526 women prisoners and in Scotland for 2,188 men prisoners and 329 women prisoners. This includes every type of accommodation—not only cells, both ordinary and special, but also hospital wards, dormitories, rooms and huts. On the same date there were 19,613 men and 852 women in prison in England and Wales and 1,588 men and 73 women in Scotland. Of these 1,060 men and 47 women in England and Wales and 135 men and five women in Scotland were awaiting trial.
Both the accommodation and the population figures are exclusive of Borstal Institutions and Detention Centres. The overcrowding of men's prisons in England and Wales is, however, much greater than appears from these figures, and it is for various reasons necessarily concentrated in certain local prisons in which 5,500 prisoners are sleeping three in a cell. This means that there is a present deficiency of approximately 4,000 cells.
The present staff of officers of the basic grade in prisons in England and Wales is 2,915 (2,740 men and 175 women). In addition, there are 256 auxiliary officers (236 men and 20 women) under training. The normal and proper method of staffing a prison is by a three-shift system. This is at present in operation at nine prisons, 145W and is about to be extended to two more. For this purpose and to meet the needs of increased population at certain local prisons, it is hoped to add another 100 officers by the end of the year.
To extend the three-shift system to all prisons—which is the ultimate aim—it is estimated that at least a further 550 officers (500 men and 50 women) would be required. Advertising for prison officers is proceeding in the national and local Press, and the response to this, together with the assistance of the Ministry of Labour and National Service, is producing large numbers of applications and resulting in a steady increase in the staff.
As regards Scotland, the authorised staff of officers of the basic grade in prisons is 487, and 487 officers are in post. In Scotland the three-shift system is in operation at three prisons including the two largest. To extend the system to all prisons would mean an addition of about 100 officers.