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Prisons: Disciplinary Proceedings

Answer

Information on the number of formal investigations conducted under Prison Service Order 1300 in each year since 2000, and the categories (including disciplinary offences) of these investigations, is provided in the following table¹.HR processes including investigations have been centralised and are managed by the NOMS National Shared Service Centre (SSC). The former Investigation Support Section (ISS) started to transfer its role to the SSC in January 2008 on a region by region basis. This was completed by February 2009.During this time the business took the opportunity to review the categories under which investigations were recorded with a view to improving the data held. As such at the point of transfer to the SSC a number of new categories were created under which investigations could be registered. Therefore, any fluctuations shown in the table, particularly significant increases or decreases between 2008 and 2009, are a result of the creation of the new categories and improvements made by the business in the collation of such data from the NOMS estate. The overall trend relating to the total numbers of formally registered investigations has remained fairly consistent for at least six years."¹ This information is based on data extracted from a central investigations database and data provided by the National Offender Management Service—National Shared Service Centre (SSC) during December 2009."

Categories	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Absence from duty	9	40	41	73	63	54	39	60	65	4
Abuse of sick leave	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	21
Abusive language/behaviour towards prisoners	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	39
Abusive language/behaviour towards staff	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	54
Abusive language/behaviour towards the public/visitors	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2
Action or negligence which caused/contributed to the loss, damage or injury to the service/individual	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	26	150
Allegations of a racist nature	24	77	57	90	84	71	73	80	69	4
Allegations of a sectarian nature	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Allegations of a sexual/sexist nature	13	36	26	60	42	39	19	27	27	3
Any other serious incident not covered above	30	122	55	81	6	4	0	0	1	0
Assault (no prisoner involvement)	1	8	14	15	13	13	16	22	10	6
Assault on staff	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	8
Assault of the public/visitor	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	3
Assault on prisoner	43	121	125	232	122	102	72	93	109	136
Asleep on duty	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	9
Attempted escape	1	9	5	12	9	13	5	9	6	0
Attempted suicide/self harm	0	4	6	12	7	1	0	0	3	0
Barricade or prevention of access	0	0	0	1	3	3	0	1	0	0
Bomb threats or explosions	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
Breach of flexible working hours procedures	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3
Breaches of security	10	47	58	115	123	97	109	157	187	173
Bringing discredit on the Prison Service	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	8
Circumstances surrounding a death in custody	30	60	69	126	83	6	1	2	4	0
Concerted indiscipline by prisoners	1	5	8	15	9	8	2	4	3	1
Corruption	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2
Death of a prisoner from natural causes or death of any other person	5	23	39	35	39	8	2	1	0	0
Deliberate and very serious damage to prison property	0	0	1	4	2	2	0	5	2	0
Discovery or presence of a firearm, ammunition or CS spray	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	1	0	0
Duplicate	0	0	0	60	10	22	23	13	5	0
Escape from a closed establishment	4	12	17	16	12	7	6	3	3	0
Escape from an escort	5	7	8	18	11	8	5	9	3	0
Exploitation of working relationship	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Failure to obey lawful and reasonable order or written instruction	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	39
Failure to report misconduct of others	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7
Financial affairs	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	7
Fraud	12	17	12	46	49	28	37	26	42	0
Harassment—staff	16	64	57	101	111	61	47	49	85	117
Hostage	0	9	7	7"	3	5	2	4	1	0
Inappropriate behaviour between staff	0	2	21	84	62	112	87	104	136	6
Inappropriate relationships	13	26	35	77	60	63	66	56	44	52
Inappropriate relationships with a prison visitor/relative of a prisoner	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Inappropriate treatment of prisoners	5	2	28	84	118	66	70	108	124	7
Investigation suspended/void	5	61	97	89	41	116	116	135	112	1
Key or lock compromise	15	47	49	87	71	62	74	78	85	2
Making/prompting false statements	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	14
Membership of a racist organisation	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	5
Misuse of Information Technology	0	1	2	8	35	35	19	39	49	68
Negligence likely to endanger the security of the establishment/escape of a prisoner	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	22	148
Non/poor performance of duties	0	2	23	100	128	232	202	155	114	6
Police caution	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	15	37
Poor time keeping	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Racial harassment	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	50
Refusing an order	0	2	9	20	36	17	23	28	20	1
Release in error	1	8	10	21	16	17	11	12	9	0
Roof climbing	0	0	3	10	3	5	1	4	1	0
Serious allegations against senior staff member	3	14	1	5	2	4	0	2	8	0
Sexual harassment/assault	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	6	25
Significant drug find (not positive MDT result)	0	1	1	0	1	1	3	2	1	0
Staff on criminal charges not covered above	4	21	14	60	50	51	51	73	84	63
Theft	4	9	22	46	37	22	30	11	34	49
Trafficking	3	5	11	6-	13	20	28	36	17	15
Unauthorised absence (AWOL) or lateness	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	57
Unauthorised disclosure of non-protectively marked information to a 3rd party in breach of professional confidentiality	3	15	3	5	7	3	13	2	2	0
Unauthorised disclosure of protectively marked information to a third party	2	0	0	10	7	5	5	16	14	17
Unauthorised secondary employment	0	1	5	6	15	16	0	7	6	13
Unfit for duty	0	5	7	12	12	2	10	20	2	1
Unprofessional conduct	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	37	202
Total	262	883	948	1,850	1,516	1,401	1,267	1,455	1,642	1,638
Notes:
1. Information has been collated according to the calendar year 1 January through 31 December.
2. Since 1 April 2004 the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) registers, investigates and produces reports about all deaths in prison custody.
3. A number of new 'categories' were created by the SSC during 2008-09 and account for the nil returns in a number of categories between 2000-07.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

503 c934-8W; 308959

Session

2009-10

Subjects

Disciplinary proceedings Prisons

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk