Justice Committee Inquiry: Evidence from Unlocked Graduates

Unlocked Graduates is delighted that the House of Commons Justice Select Committee has accepted our evidence in their Inquiry on the Prison Operational Workforce.

“The Justice Committee is seeking to understand the current state of the prison operational workforce and why ‘high volumes of prison officers are leaving’ the service, as well as the implications this can have. They are gathering written and oral evidence to explore what measures can be taken to recruit and retain staff.

Since 2017, Unlocked Graduates has recruited and trained over 600 Prison Officers, working in 37 establishments across England and Wales and reaching a third of the prisoner population.

The majority of Unlocked Ambassadors remain within HMPPS and nearly 90 per cent still work towards the mission of Unlocked Graduates in their primary role. Almost half (42 per cent) of Ambassadors who are still working in prisons are in middle or senior leadership positions. We believe that our initial and ongoing training, consistent support, MPO model and increased diversity in our cohorts have contributed to this and are honoured to share our learnings with Parliament.”

Read the full Unlocked Graduates submission to the Justice Committee Inquiry.