The UK prison service has started recruiting officers from Nigeria and other countries, providing skilled worker visa sponsorship for the first time.
However, the move has uncovered serious challenges, with some recruits resorting to sleeping in cars or setting up makeshift camps due to a lack of housing support.
The move to recruit overseas officers comes after an October 2023 policy change that added prison officers to the list of skilled workers eligible for visa sponsorship.
While the program has provided a pathway for skilled Nigerian workers and others to fill gaps in the UK prison service, the lack of adequate support for new arrivals has created unexpected hardships.
Mark Fairhurst, president of the Prison Officers Association (POA), revealed alarming instances where foreign recruits arrived at prisons with their families and belongings, expecting employer-provided accommodation, only to find none available.
“At one prison, officers set up a camp in a wooded area across from the jail after realizing they had no place to stay. Others are sleeping in cars to save on accommodation costs,” Fairhurst said.
One officer reportedly commuted 70 miles daily from Huddersfield to Nottingham before deciding it was cheaper to sleep in his car outside the prison gates.
Prison governors have noted that while some recruits come through skilled worker sponsorships, others are switching from existing visa routes.
The Telegraph reports that the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has sponsored around 250 foreign nationals to join the prison service after completing Zoom interviews and passing vetting procedures.
Prison governors suggest there are even more applicants, including individuals switching from other visa categories.
They noted that in a single month last year, two-thirds of the 3,500 prospective recruits were from Africa.
Tom Wheatley, President of the Prison Governors Association (PGA), attributed the surge to word-of-mouth recommendations online, particularly within the expat Nigerian community.
“This has become an approach promoted online by the expat Nigerian community,” Wheatley said, adding that it has caused challenges in some prisons, particularly in rural areas where a disproportionate number of foreign staff has led to difficulties with integration and communication.
However, some prisons have also reported language barriers among new recruits.
A Prison Service spokesperson defended the recruitment process, noting that changes to the skilled worker visa scheme in October 2023 now allow the service to sponsor foreign nationals.
“All staff, regardless of nationality, undergo robust assessments and training before working in prisons. Our strengthened vetting process eliminates those who do not meet our high standards,” they said.
However, calls for reform have grown. This week, union leader Mark Fairhurst criticised the reliance on Zoom interviews for recruiting frontline officers and urged a return to face-to-face interviews.
He argued that the six weeks of training provided to recruits is insufficient for preparing them to handle the demands of the role.
“The process is simply not fit for purpose,” Fairhurst said, citing concerns over under-qualified and corrupt officers being hired. Misconduct among staff has become a growing issue, with a record 165 prison staff dismissed last year, marking a 34% increase compared to the previous year.
In one high-profile case, a former officer at HMP Wandsworth was jailed for 15 months after being caught on video engaging in sexual activity with an inmate.
