VerbatimParliament, as it happens

Prison Officers: Prisoners

Asked by Nick TimothyConservativeMinistry of JusticeTabled Answered 1 April 2026UIN 122801

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison inmates have had illicit relationships with prison officers in each year since 2010, broken down by offence group.

Answered by Jake Richards

The table below shows the number of prisoners in the last six years recorded as being involved in proven cases where a member of prison staff has been convicted of Misconduct in Public Office.

No data is held for years prior to 2020.

Year of case outcome

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

Number of prisoners

0

5

5

17

10

22

An inappropriate relationship is defined as any relationship that compromises a staff member’s ability to perform their duties appropriately.

Where officers fall below our high standards, we do not hesitate to take robust action. We are catching more of the minority who break the rules with our Counter Corruption Unit and stronger vetting.

The figures in this table have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →

Open this question in Verbatim →

Every written question, searchable

155,000 questions tabled since the election, with the answer each department gave — and the ones still unanswered, with the clock running. Free to search.

Search written questions →Read on Verbatim