Prison service
The PCS civil service union is calling on the government to invest in prison staff following the publication of a report stating that prisons in England and Wales are in their worst state for 10 years.
The annual report by the chief inspector of prisons, Nick Hardwick, said that violence in prisons is up, with attacks on staff increasing and inmate deaths and self-harming rising.
Since 2005, prisons in England and Wales have been assessed on levels of safety, respect, purposeful activity among inmates and resettlement, and it is the lowest overall grade since these measurements started being compiled.
The report comes as no surprise to PCS members working in the National Offender Management Service who have seen cuts inspired by government and imposed by management.