A PRISON close to York has seen an 'alarming' rise in the number of assaults on prisoners and staff, new figures have revealed.
Figures obtained from a Freedom of Information request by Legal Expert revealed that the number of prisoner-on-prisoner assaults and assaults on prison staff at HMP Full Sutton have risen to a five-year high.
The figures have emerged after the government revealed plans in June for a £40 million investment in new security measures aimed at reducing violence behind bars, saying the prison service was facing a crisis over the issue.
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In 2024/25, Full Sutton Prison recorded 51 prisoner-on-prisoner assaults - up from five assaults five years earlier during the Covid pandemic.
The figure has increased year on year with 12 reported incidents in 2021/2022, 32 in 2022/2023, and 48 in 2023/2024.
Legal Expert also obtained figures revealing that the number of assaults on staff at the prison has increased 142 per cent - from 33 in 2020/21 to 80 in 2024/25.
There was a dip in 2021/2022 and 2022/2023, when only 22 and 28 assaults were reported respectively, however this increased to 71 in 2023/2024.
According to statistics from Ministry of Justice, there were 10,568 assaults on prison staff and 20,570 prisoner-on-prisoner assaults in the last year nationwide - seven per cent and nine per cent increases on the previous year, respectively.
Some legal professionals blame the increasing prison population for the hike in assaults.
Nationally, prison population has increased annually for the last 30 years, rising from 43,000 in 1994 to over 88,000 in 2024, however the number of officers has remained more or less the same.
Patrick Mallon, a solicitor at legal firm JF Law, called the rise ‘alarming’ and ‘a stark reflection of a system under immense strain’.
He said: “With prison populations growing and a significant number of prisons now officially overcrowded, the Ministry of Justice is facing a growing crisis as this limited space creates an unstable environment where violence becomes increasingly common.”
He added that government research from June identified a link between overcrowded conditions and increased violence in prisons - offenders are nearly 20 per cent more likely to be involved in assaults in overpopulated jails.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “These statistics once again lay bare the extent of the crisis facing our prisons – with levels of violence, assaults on staff and self-harm far too high.
“The Government has made it clear it will do whatever we can to protect our hardworking staff – which is why we are trialling tasers in prisons and mandated protective body armour for prison officers working with the most dangerous offenders.
"But it is clear fundamental change is needed, which is why we’re also reforming our jails, so they create better citizens, not better criminals."
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