Gavin Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire, has welcomed the announcement of guidelines produced by the Ministry of Justice and the CPS that ensures stricter punishments for offenders who attack prison officers.
The Ministry of Justice has also announced guidelines for joint working between prisons, the police and CPS to ensure that wherever possible, prisoners who commit serious assaults on staff and other serious crimes, such as hostage taking, arson and absconds, are punished through the courts. Priority will be given to prosecuting those who assault prison staff.
The Ministry of Justice has proposed its changes as part of a wider violence reduction strategy by the Prison Service. Priority will be given to prosecuting those who assault staff. The new guidelines will help reinforce the case that sentences for offences that are committed in prison will be served at the end of, rather than alongside, the initial prison sentence.
Prisons Minister Andrew Selous said the measures, which are expected to come into force by April 2015, will ensure those that attack prison staff are prosecuted and brought to justice. “We have always had a complex and challenging prison population but are taking appropriate steps to ensure that we carefully manage the increased levels of violence.”
Gavin said: “I welcome this move by the Ministry of Justice to punish offenders attacking prison officers. They do a dangerous job containing violent people. Violence in prisons should not be tolerated and violent assaults on staff are completely unacceptable.
“With three prisons in South Staffordshire, I am aware of how hardworking the prison staff are and the challenges that they face daily. Prison officers deserve the best protection we can give them. I hope that these guidelines will secure more convictions for violent offences in prisons and young offenders institutions in England and Wales, helping drive down the number of attacks on members of staff and making prisons a safer place to work for prison officers.”