Overview

• A prison officer at HMP Woodhill suffered throat and ear injuries after being slashed with an improvised weapon, requiring hospital treatment.
• Separate incidents at Woodhill involved an officer attacked by a terrorism detainee and another officer injured at Gartree after a prisoner faked a seizure and threw a TV.
• The Justice Secretary has ordered a rapid review into body armor and approved taser trials to address the surge in prison violence.
• The Prison Officers’ Association is urging the removal of kettles from high-risk inmate cells and the adoption of US-style supermax conditions.
• Assaults on prison staff reached a record 10,605 in 2024, with overcrowding and understaffing cited as key contributing factors.