§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of the Job Simulation Assessment Centre system of prison service recruitment. [67046]
§ Mr. George HowarthJob Simulation Assessment Centres (JSACs) form part of the new approach to recruitment within the Prison Service. JSACs have been developed to provide fairer, more objective and more reliable assessments of candidates than the recruitment process which they replaced.
The evidence to date is that the use of JSACs has resulted in a perceptible improvement in the calibre of new prison officers under training together with increased numbers entering the Prison Service from ethnic minorities. The Prison Service is continuing to evaluate the new arrangements with the assistance of Goldsmiths College, University of London.