Prison officers to receive training countering inmate manipulation and preventing inappropriate bonds
New prison officers in England and Wales are to receive enhanced, year-long training designed to fortify them against sophisticated manipulation and illicit relationships with inmates, as the Ministry of Justice acts to address a crisis of inexperience within the ranks.
The programme, known as “Enable”, will run for 12 months and is being developed to provide new recruits with mentors and sustained advice on navigating complex prisoner dynamics. This represents a significant expansion from the current regime, where officers complete 10 weeks of initial training followed by seven weeks of face-to-face instruction.
The new frontline: younger, greener, and under pressure
The drive for deeper training is a direct response to a seismic shift in the prison officer workforce. Statistics reveal a stark decline in collective experience. At the end of 2025, there were 22,067 full-time equivalent officers with an average of 9.7 years of experience each. This contrasts sharply with December 2010, when the workforce of 24,501 boasted an average of 13.7 years’ experience.
This trend is attributed to deep staffing cuts from 2012 onwards, which purged experienced personnel and led to a rapid, large-scale recruitment of new officers. The consequences are most acute in challenging environments: by June 2023, nearly a third of officers in high-security prisons had fewer than three years of experience, up from just 6% in June 2015.
A Ministry of Justice source framed the challenge starkly, noting new staff, sometimes young adults with limited prior work experience, now face criminals “sometimes twice their age, who have influence within prisons, and many have money too.” The environment, they said, “can be daunting, harrowing and disorientating.”
From theory to practice: mentorship and ‘reflective’ support
The “Enable” programme aims to bridge the gap between classroom learning and the harsh reality of prison landings. Officials state it will “better blend learning with real-world experience behind the prison gates.” A core component will be tailored training to help officers recognise the signs they are being “manipulated or targeted or compromised.”
This approach draws directly on an independent review of foundation training conducted by Lord Timpson in 2024, before he became prisons minister. His report, seen by the Guardian, called for universal mentoring schemes, noting that officers too often “feel alone and would benefit from a sounding board” and that far more pastoral support is needed.
The value of continuous, reflective support is championed by organisations like Unlocked Graduates, a charity that has placed around 1,000 graduates into the service. Its chief executive, Natasha Porter, said they use “reflective practices” – where trainees regularly discuss their prisoner relationships with peers or a mentor – to safeguard professionalism.
“Without support, mentoring or training and professional guidance, they can easily become vulnerable to someone who is an expert in manipulation,” Porter stated. She warned that some staff are deliberately “set up” by prisoners, adding, “We are dealing with really experienced manipulators, particularly some of the sex offenders.”
A reaction to scandal and soaring investigations
The policy push follows a spate of damaging prosecutions and a dramatic rise in recorded misconduct. Over a dozen former prison officers have been prosecuted recently for financial and sexual relationships with inmates.
Notable cases include Alicia Novas, 20, jailed for three years for smuggling cannabis into HMP Five Wells after becoming involved with an inmate, and Linda De Sousa Abreu, jailed for 15 months after being filmed having sex with an inmate at HMP Wandsworth shortly after her recruitment. The scale of the issue is growing: Ministry of Justice figures show investigations into prison officers for inappropriate relationships with inmates have nearly tripled in five years, from 51 in 2020 to 144 in 2024.
While the Prison Service states that training changes are “not solely due to inexperienced staff or a rise in inappropriate relationships,” it acknowledges the critical need for robust preparation. A spokesperson said: “Prison officers are the backbone of our service, working every day in some of the toughest conditions. That is why getting training right is essential.”
Scepticism from the frontline
The new programme has been met with scepticism by the Prison Officers Association. Its national chair, Mark Fairhurst, argued that such support “should have been a priority before the recent spate of scandals,” accusing the service of being “reactive rather than being proactive.”
He expressed deep practical doubts, stating, “I fail to see where the mentoring of new recruits will surface from due to the complete lack of experience among staff anywhere. I also have zero faith in this being rolled out in a timely manner.” The POA has previously described the existing initial training as “unfit for purpose” and highlighted a severe deficit in continued professional development.
This critique underscores the deeper crisis of recruitment and retention that many experts and unions believe is the root cause of the service’s current vulnerabilities, a cycle the new 12-month “Enable” programme is now attempting to break.
