PRISON officer numbers at HMP Bullingdon haven fallen by nearly a third in three years.
The latest figures from the Howard League for Penal Reform show in September last year there were 73 fewer officers at the Bicester prison than there were three years before. The charity yesterday said the country’s prisons were at “breaking point” as it said the overall number of officers in the South East had fallen 36 per cent in the period.
Figures for Bullingdon show in September there were 190 officers working – a 28 per cent drop from the 263 in September 2010.
It comes after a report from the Howard League last year revealed 366 prisoners at Bullingdon were forced to share cells designed to accommodate only one person in the financial year from 2012-13.
The charity’s figures also showed in January that the prison was full with 1,114 prisoners – above the 879 limit the jail can hold in decent and safe accommodation.
Frances Crook, chief executive of the charity, yesterday said: “The prison system is at breaking point. This is the most irresponsible government penal policy in a generation.”
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