PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Prisons: Sexual Offences (9 February 2021)

We take any allegation of sexual assault in prisons extremely seriously and have robust processes in place to ensure such incidents are immediately referred to the police and victims are given the support they need.

Our approach to reducing all types of violence in prisons, including sexual assaults, is threefold. First, we know that there is a link between staffing numbers and violence in prison, which is why we continue to take actions to strengthen the frontline and ensure we have the staff they need to ensure the safety of everyone who lives and works in our prisons. Our short term target was to recruit 2,500 extra prison officers and as of 30 September 2020, 3,844 new staff are now in post. This has placed our prisons on a stronger footing and enabled us to begin the rollout of new reforms such as the key worker role, which focuses on supporting individual prisoners.

Secondly, it is vital that we ensure our staff have the right support, training and tools to empower them to do their jobs. We are rolling out Trauma Risk Management, a trauma-focused peer support system designed to help people who have experienced a traumatic or potentially traumatic event, and we are currently considering other ways in which we can better support victims of violence in our prisons, including staff. We provide post-incident care teams, occupational health support and counselling for members of staff who are assaulted while doing their jobs.

Thirdly, we are investing £100 million to bolster prison security, clamping down on the weapons, drugs and mobile phones that fuel violence, including sexual assaults, and crime behind bars. This is funding tough measures including x-ray body scanners and phone-blocking technology.