Unison seeks to ease prison pressure

The union said proper investment, management and support were key to delivering community sentences that are a cost-effective alternative to prison.

The prison population in England and Wales stood at at 85,115 last month, with many jails severely overcrowded.

In response, Unison launched its eight-point plan to support community sentences which have been affected by cuts and pressure on supervisory staff.

Those pressures are leading to problems with larger groups, threats of violence, disruption and no-shows by offenders, the union claimed.

Unison wants community service to be better resourced rather than cut back, an average of no more than six offenders to one supervisor, a complete ban on mobile phones and action against violence.

And it wants an end to plans which would privatise community service, which the probation service claims would give a worse service at a higher cost if introduced.

Unison national officer for probation staff Ben Priestley said: "Supervising offenders who don't want to complete their community service is a tough job. But it is being made harder by the threat of cuts and the daily pressures that our members face.

"Group sizes have risen relentlessly over the past five years. It cannot be good practice or safe to have one supervisor watching over 14 offenders. Is it any wonder that violence is an increasing fear among our members?"