Jess Hardiman
A prison guard has offered up his explanation about why female officers keep getting caught having sex with inmates, saying there are a number of factors at play.
According to the Ministry of Justice, in the four years since 2019, 31 officers in England and Wales have been dismissed for inappropriate relationships with inmates – including one who went on to have a love child.
The Sun reports that these figures show how 32 male and female prison staff were also fired for sexual relationships with prisoners between January 2015 and March 2019, with 19 of these being females with male inmates, compared to seven who involved males with female inmates and six unaccounted for to prevent identification.
A former prison officer has now said he feels the issue has got ‘completely out of control’, telling the outlet why he thinks the numbers appear to be so high.
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Neil ‘Sam’ Samworth, who spent 11 years at Manchester’s Strangeways prison, said: "Training and recruitment has never been ideal, but as they are now, they have no experience.
"They've got the youngest workforce ever. They are literally seeing kids on wings straight out of college aged 18, 19, 20.
"You've got a very inexperienced, young workforce and you've got a lot of lads locked up who have something that is really dangerous - it's called charm."
Samworth, author of Strangeways: A Prison Officer's Story and also hosts the Real Porridge podcast, said the result was inmates ‘playing’ the often ‘very naïve' recruits, using intimidation and manipulation.
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Warning inmates aren’t just after casual sex, claiming they sometimes also want a mule to smuggle for them, he added: "I do not know what people think they are expecting."
In the last three years alone, three former staff members at MP Berwyn in Wrexham, Wales - Jennifer Gavan, 27, Ayshea Gunn, 27, and Emily Watson, 26 – were jailed for their relationships with prisoners.
Meanwhile, Ruth Shmylo is accused of an ‘inappropriate’ relationship with Harri Pullen at HMP Parc in Bridgend, Wales – allegations she denies, with her trial due to begin in September.
Prison nurse Elyse Hibbs, 25, was also jailed for six months in October after ‘flirtatious’ messages with Pullen.
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When asked what he thinks is going on, Samworth said: "When I was in the job we did have one or two staff who were reprimanded for inappropriate relationships [with prisoners].
"But lads I know that are getting out now tell me you don't even have to approach staff, staff are approaching them saying 'can I get you anything'.
"There's that much drug smuggling and rings going on that you've got prisons with five or six staff involved and police are busting them.
"Now the experienced prison staff are gone and we've got all these youngsters, prisoners will play them."
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In response to officer and inmate relationships, a Prison Service spokesperson said: "The vast majority of Prison Service staff are hardworking and honest.
"But we are doing more than ever to catch and punish the small number who break the rules."
LADbible has reached out to the Ministry of Justice for comment.