Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to protect prison and custody staff from potential assault in plans to compel people to attend their sentencing.

Violence against our dedicated staff will never be tolerated. We are working closely with the Police and the CPS to ensure the successful prosecutions of prisoners who assault staff along with the strongest possible punishment being imposed. In the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, the Government doubled the maximum penalty for assaulting an emergency worker, including prison officers and officers exercising custody functions, to 2 years’ imprisonment. We have rolled out a next generation Body Worn Video Camera solution which has increased the availability across public sector prisons from 6,000 to over 13,000 cameras, with every band 3-5 officer on shift being provided with a camera. The cameras will provide high-quality evidence to support prosecutions against prisoners who commit assaults. Additionally, we have invested £100 million to bolster prison security to clamp down on violence, self-harm and crime behind bars.

Our plans to compel attendance at sentencing hearings will set in legislation the power of custody officers to use reasonable force to make criminal appear in the dock. The decision on whether to use force would remain with custody officers and continue to be decided on a case-by-case basis where it is necessary, reasonable, and proportionate.

Courts will continue to be mindful of the impact that violent and disorderly defendants have on the safety of custody officers and the disruption and stress they can cause to victims and their families. An offender who refuses to attend their sentencing hearing where ordered to do so, including by disorderly conduct, will face up to an additional 2 years in custody.