HM Prison and Probation Service

👨🍳 Are you a skilled caterer who’s tired of long nights in bars and restaurants? HMP Littlehey is looking for talented professionals from the hospitality and catering sectors to bring their expertise into the heart of the prison kitchen. Meet Officer Allsop, Catering Supervisor, who has been at the prison since 2003 and knows firsthand the impact of working in prison catering. He leads the kitchen, manages a dedicated team of prisoners, and takes pride in helping them develop new skills. He is just one of many staff who will be working hard in the Prison Service this festive period. 💬He said: “Working over the festive period isn’t for everyone but I’m really proud to have the job I do working on the frontline and will celebrate after I’ve finished my shift. My family are used to my job and are really proud of me, so they understand.” “Although it’s a 365-day operation in a prison, the support you get from your colleagues is brilliant and it makes working over this period so much easier. We have such a unique bond and camaraderie and we’re always willing to help each other out if needed.”  You’ll not only create meals that boost prisoner morale, but you’ll also help equip individuals with valuable skills that will support their rehabilitation. Why join? 🔵work-life balance with fewer long, late-night shifts 🔵stability and job security with a public sector pension 🔵the chance to make a real difference in prisoners’ lives 🔵opportunities for career development, including apprenticeship schemes HMPPS staff across the country are doing an extraordinary job in challenging conditions. They will play a crucial role in supporting the system to make custody safer and protect the public. If you’re ready to take your catering career in a new direction, read more of Officer Allsop’s story and apply now: https://lnkd.in/ewHGBrvm

🦌Wood you believe it? Our Community Payback teams in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan have been constructing festive displays for a grotto and gardens to boost the community’s festive spirit. The teams have been working hard throughout the autumn, designing and making the large-scale wooden figures before sketching in detail, cutting and painting them. The project, a long-standing collaboration between Community Payback in Cardiff and the Stephens and George Centenary Charitable Trust at the Dowlais Community Centre in Merthyr Tydfil, continues to grow and succeed. Robert Robbins, Community Payback Operations Manager, said: “We’ve had young offenders, aged 18 and 19, working on this display. They can see how their work cheers up local people. This is a community in an area dealing with deprivation, so it’s great to spread some joy and it makes all of us proud.” Helen Hughes, of Stephens and George CCT, added: “A huge thank you to the incredible team at Cardiff and Vale Community Payback for all your amazing work in helping us at Stephens and George Charitable Trust. “Your hard work in creating our props for the grotto and festive gardens truly brings the magic of the season to life. “We are so grateful for your support and couldn't have done it without you.” Offenders have learnt technical skills, problem solving, communication and teamwork, which can all be used to help them find employment and reduce reoffending. To find out more about roles with Community Payback visit: https://lnkd.in/eie3k3U4

The MoJ Festive Market brought colleagues together to shop with purpose and support organisations helping to reduce reoffending. Those in attendance were: 🔵 Koestler Arts: a prison arts charity selling unique cards and gifts 🔵 The Clink Charity: offering delicious treats from its restaurants run by prisoners 🔵 XO Bikes: helping ex-prisoners train as bike mechanics 🔵 Tap Social Movement: a craft brewery and social enterprise providing training and employment opportunities for ex-offenders 🔵 Liberty Kitchen: a street food enterprise selling innovative dishes, created and sold by prisoners and ex-prisoners These organisations are dedicated to supporting ex-offenders to rebuild their lives and help reduce reoffending in communities. The event gave our staff the opportunity to talk with them and purchase gifts.

I was delighted to have the opportunity to attend HMP Wormwood Scrubs alongside Lord Timpson, Minister of State for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending and Matt Grey, Executive Director for Rehabilitation earlier this week, where we had the chance to attend a literacy session with a small group of prisoners (Shannon Trust Reading Mentors) to hear about the work they are doing to help the men on D Wing become confident readers. Improving prisoner reading is my personal priority as CEO of HM Prison and Probation Service and I am always keen to visit the work going on across the service and support it. This experience continued to highlight the transformative power of access to reading materials while in custody. An inability to read not only has a profound impact on a prisoner’s daily life but, more importantly, it impedes rehabilitation by limiting their chances of engaging with learning or training, and ultimately, of finding work on release. This all builds towards the services core priorities of reducing reoffending and protecting the public. High-quality reading education in prisons can be transformative. By equipping prisoners with reading skills, we can help them gain crucial life skills, expand their knowledge and embark on a journey of rehabilitation and reintegration into society. Literacy skills can lead to employment opportunities, but reading also allows prisoners to share experiences and communicate more effectively with friends and family. These undoubted benefits may take time, encouragement and perseverance to achieve and that is where our staff and partnership organisations and education providers really help to make changes. I witnessed firsthand the positive impact that books and education can have on individuals. Shannon Trust teaches a phonics-based programme helping people learn to read by blending the sounds that letters make to sound out the words. As confidence builds people on the programme move on to comprehension. Nobody’s story is already written and it’s my mission that anyone who struggles with reading leaves custody having made progress from their starting point. Thank you to everyone at HMP Wormwood Scrubs involved in this work, and to all our staff working to improve the literacy skills of those in custody across England and Wales. Together, we can make a difference, empowering individuals and reducing reoffending through the gift of reading.

💬 “If you’ve not worked in a prison before – it will be like nothing else you’ve experienced, but it is hugely rewarding.” Prison staff work tirelessly 365 days a year – yes, even during the festive season. For Officer Beazley, who joined HMP Woodhill at just 22, spending the festive period on the wings has become part of her journey. She said: “I joined the Prison Service around six years ago and I’ve worked on the wings at HMP Woodhill almost every festive period since. This has meant making sacrifices as I often have to leave my family early in the morning to work at the prison, but I do find being a prison officer particularly rewarding during this time of the year. “It can be a challenging time for prisoners who are away from their families, but our role is to be there to support them. Often prisoners themselves have empathy for us prison officers as they understand that we are also away from loved ones.” She has recently moved prisons to work at HMP Grendon and Springhill as a Prison Officer Specialist for Therapeutic delivery. She adds: “Communication skills play a huge part in a prison officer’s role so to make a success of it you need to enjoy interacting with human beings as that is what everyone is behind prison walls. I love my job and find it really satisfying being able to build rapports with prisoners to help them progress – this gives me a real source of happiness.” Officer Beazley alongside other hard working prison staff, is playing a crucial role in supporting the prison system through challenging times, with prisons until recently close to full. Staff will play a key role in rebuilding the prison system so that it is more effective at cutting reoffending rates among those leaving prison. 🔗Inspired by Officer Beazley’s story? Find out more and join the Prison Service today: https://lnkd.in/eeDUYXyW

🌟HMPPS have teamed up with Prodigal Arts charity to celebrate our probation staff and inspire others to join the Probation Service. 🎁 We’ve launched a special collection of free to order festive reflections greeting cards, inspired by the advice and support from our dedicated probation staff. These limited-edition cards were created in collaboration with Prodigal Arts, a charity that helps offenders and ex-offenders unlock their creative potential to help reduce the likelihood of re-offending. We asked probation staff to share examples of support and guidance they’ve given to offenders they’ve worked with. With the festive season being a challenging time for many, we hope these cards offer a way to share support and encouragement with others. 💬 Georgia, a probation services officer, “If you’re looking to change your course in life, my advice would be to believe in yourself and focus on one small change at a time. You are more than capable of doing just that, and don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice along the way”. Order your Festive Reflections cards for free at https://lnkd.in/eWEjxnq2. Learn more about the rewarding roles available and how you can make a difference ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/ekbFGb2P

🎵This week the annual Wormwood Scrubs carol service brought together staff and prisoners. The service highlighted the values of respect and unity, featuring traditional carols, readings, and a sense of shared purpose. The event, run by the Prison Chaplaincy team and in partnership with the Prison Choir Project, included a Salvation Army Band, and a 28-person choir made up of professional singers and prisoners. Having prisoners contribute to organising an event like this helps them build teamwork and communication skills while boosting their confidence. The service will be aired on National Prison Radio (run by Prison Radio Association) on Christmas Day.

Today, the Lord Chancellor has published the 10-year Prison Capacity Strategy. HMPPS staff have gone above and beyond to maintain the service during challenging times with prisons close to full capacity until recently. The impact within our prisons and in probation continues to be felt. The strategy reaffirms our commitment to creating stability in the criminal justice system enabling our staff to help individuals make positive changes while keeping the public safe. HMPPS plays a vital role in protecting the public and reducing reoffending, but our staff can only succeed if the wider system is stable and has the right resources and environment to deliver. The 10-year Prison Capacity Strategy also outlines a plan to build 14,000 new prison places by 2031, including: • 4 new prisons • 6,400 places in house blocks • 1,000 rapid deployment cells • refurbishment of over 1,000 existing cells It addresses the need for essential maintenance and investment in digital and technical capabilities to improve efficiency and reduce administrative burdens across the whole of HMPPS. Alongside the Independent Review of Sentencing, it is part of the government’s commitment to ensure we never run out of prison places again. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/eGsYgdBw

Long-term public protection is at the heart of our plan for prisons.       Today we’re launching our 10-year prison capacity strategy. It’s our blueprint for rebuilding the prison system so the country never runs out of cells ever again.        Over the next decade, we plan to build four new prisons. We also aim to deliver an estimated 6,400 places in houseblocks and 1,000 rapid deployment cells, plus refurbish roughly 1,000 existing cells.      The 10-year strategy will work alongside the Government's landmark independent Sentencing Review to ensure there is always space to keep dangerous criminals locked up.      Find out more: https://lnkd.in/eGsYgdBw

Do you want to improve community spaces and make a tangible difference to the lives of local people? 💬 Raphael shares the range of Community Payback projects he’s worked on and who benefits from them. Apply to our Community Payback roles ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/e55TGaeU