Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve the training of new prison officers.

Initial training of newly recruited prison officers begins with a 12-week Prison Officer Entry Level Training (POELT) course. This provides new officers with a foundation level of training in all core skill areas including interpersonal skills, mental health awareness, equality, violence reduction and safer custody, alongside the more traditional security awareness and practical skills needed to be a prison officer. HMPPS has also invested in training for 75 Prison Officer Entry Level Training (POELT) Mentors who support new entrant staff in the first 12 months of their role in establishments.

HMPPS are currently reviewing how the POELT training package can be delivered differently to our new prison officer recruits, so that they are more confident and have an improved introduction for working in a modern prison environment.