What is a Justice Union?

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What is a Justice Union?
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A justice union services those who work in the
privatised justice and custodial sector. There
are now 14 prisons operated contractually by
private providers such as Sodexo Justice
Services, Serco and G4S Justice Services. Her
Majestys Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS)
makes up the other 104 public prisons in the
UK.    While the backbone of the justice system
relies on these workers, their role puts them at
considerable risk compared to other sectors that
include their physical well-being and their
mental well-being. With Community-TUs survey
showing that over 7,979 attacks occurred in 2020
alone, there have been rising calls for
institutes to implement better protections for
prison workers.   To this end, justice unions can
be a way to protect workers, improve training and
better working environments. In this article,
well be looking at how exactly justice unions
can achieve this and what is it precisely that
they can do for workers.
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• Who is a Justice Union for?
•  
• The total number of prison workers in the UK was
  over 20,000 in England and Wales. Included in
  this statistic are those that work in
• Private prisons
• Secure immigration centres
• Young offender institutions
• Secure training centres
• Courts prisoner escorting
• Electronic monitoring services
• Overseas escort services
•  
• All of these workers can access justice union
  services. As we will discuss below, there are
  many issues that workers may share.

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• Common Issues Justice and Custodial Workers Face
•  
• The cumulative length of service for prison
  workers has continued to drop yearly by over
  86000, with one prisons turnover rate of over
  25. The main reason for this, as mentioned, is
  related to the potential for violence within the
  role. However, there are several other concerns
  prison workers face
•  
• Pay This remains an issue for prison workers,
  particularly due to the high-risk nature of the
  roles
• Improve staff training and Develop future
  leaders Despite the POELT (Prison Officer Entry
  Level Training) training programme in the UK, as
  demonstrated, retention levels continue to drop.
  This suggests that prison providers must set out
  better plans for either the long term development
  of staff members or enhanced programmes for
  retaining long-standing officers in the sector.

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• Improve work environment and conditions One of
  the critical factors for prison workers is
  receiving adequate safety provisions to carry out
  their jobs. For instance, body-worn cameras and
  stab vests so officers can better protect
  themselves. To this end, justice unions can
  negotiate with public and private prison sectors
  to provide funding in these areas.
•  
• What Do Justice Unions Do?
•  
• There are several ways unions can benefit
  workers. Community has been leading the keep us
  safe campaign to improve workers' conditions.
  Joining a union is one way to raise support for
  these issues and allow workers to hear their
  voices.
•  
• To find out more about what a union can do for
  you, consider joining our community.

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