'Seismic shift' to improve professional standards across HM Prison and Probation Service
Source: gov.uk (2025-05-06)

Reports of bullying and harassment are “a wake-up call and an opportunity to change”, Lord Timpson said today (6 May), after a review recommended wholesale change to how HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) deals with complaints.

- New unit to deal with allegations of bullying, harassment and discrimination outside of chain-of-command
- Builds on action to strengthen vetting to root out those who fall below the high standards expected
- Tackling unacceptable behaviour better will improve retention rates and staff morale, part of our Plan for Change to reduce reoffending, cut crime and keep our streets safe
The Prisons, Probation, and Reducing Reoffending Minister pledged a ‘seismic shift’ to improve professional standards across the service.

Immediate action will include establishing a new unit to investigate and better respond to allegations of bullying, harassment and discrimination.

It will be independent – taking complaints away from the line management hierarchy to ensure they are dealt with impartially and fairly by a dedicated team of experts.

It comes as more than one in eight staff last year reported being bullied, harassed, or discriminated against – 50 per cent higher than the wider Civil Service.

Today’s announcement follows a comprehensive review by Jennifer Rademaker, a non-executive director for the Ministry of Justice. Commissioned by HMPPS leaders, it examined the HR processes and culture for dealing with professional standards complaints.

In a speech at HMP High Down in Surrey this morning, Lord James Timpson said:

Professional standards matter. They cannot simply be words on paper. They must be reflected in how we treat each other, every day.

And where those standards aren’t met – our staff – and the public – must know that we’ll take swift and decisive action.

HMPPS recognised that something needed to be done. That’s why it commissioned Jennifer to carry out her independent Review in the first place, and I’m pleased we have accepted her recommendations in full.

He contrasted the misogyny and sexual harassment experienced by a young prison officer at work with the bravery of staff responding to help prison officers attacked last month at HMP Frankland.

Lord Timpson said:

They ran towards danger, when others would run away. They are true heroes. And our thoughts are with the injured officers as they continue to recover.

That kind of bravery isn’t rare in the Service. Our probation officers, too, manage risk constantly, working with dangerous offenders to keep the public safe.

These are jobs where heroism happens daily, in environments more stressful, more pressurised, than people could possibly imagine.

The question is, then: how do we make this a Service worthy of the heroes at Frankland? Worthy of every hero in the Service?

Recommendations from the report include:
- The establishment of an independent central unit to handle the reporting of claims of bullying, harassment and discrimination.
- The creation of an Independent Commissioner for HMPPS Professional Standards.
- Improving data collection on complaints by creating one database and regular updates to all staff.
The Government has accepted all the recommendations from the review and will begin implementing them immediately as part of its Plan for Change. It will ensure unacceptable behaviour is tackled quickly and effectively. Improving staff morale, safety and retention rates will ensure prisons and probation can focus more on reducing reoffending and making streets safer.

This will build on significant action already being taken to drive up professionalism across the Service and root out those who fall below the high standards expected. This includes bolstering vetting processes to make it harder for unsuitable people to enter the workforce and improving staff training.

Work is also underway to improve the training provided to staff - to ensure they not only have the technical skills needed but possess strong ethical foundations, too. It will see the introduction of a more structured, longer-term approach to training with higher standards, so staff will be better equipped and more likely to thrive.

Meanwhile, HMPPS’s Counter Corruption Unit is working directly with police forces across the country to identify and remove staff who abuse their position or engage in criminal conduct.

Background
- The report provides 12 recommendations to improve the processes around reporting bullying, harassment and discrimination. HMPPS has accepted all the recommendations and work is underway to implement these.
- You can read both the review and HMPPS’ response on GOV.UK HMPPS Professional Standards Review - GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmpps-professional-standards-review)