Some Nigerians recruited to work as prison officers in the United Kingdom (UK) have been forced to sleep in their cars or set up makeshift camps near prisons due to the high cost of accommodation.
The UK prison service recently began sponsoring skilled worker visas for foreign workers following a policy change in October 2023, which made prison officers eligible for visa sponsorship. As a result, many recruits, particularly from Nigeria, have taken up roles in UK prisons.
Despite securing jobs, many of the new recruits arrived under the assumption that accommodation would be provided. Mark Fairhurst, president of the Prison Officers Association (POA), revealed that some officers showed up at their assigned prisons with luggage in tow, expecting housing arrangements to be in place.
One officer reportedly commuted 70 miles daily from Huddersfield to Nottingham, but due to rising costs, he opted to sleep in his car outside the prison. At another facility, several foreign recruits set up a camp in a wooded area opposite the prison after realizing they had no housing support.
“We have got problems with people who turn up at the gates with cases in tow and with their families saying to the staff: ‘Where is the accommodation?’” Fairhurst said.
Since the policy change, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has reportedly sponsored around 250 foreign nationals to work in UK prisons. However, the number of applicants is significantly higher, with two-thirds of the 3,500 applicants in one month last year coming from Africa, particularly Nigeria.
Tom Wheatley, president of the Prison Governors Association (PGA), noted that word-of-mouth recommendations within the Nigerian expatriate community have fueled interest in the prison officer role.
“It’s turned into an approach that has been promoted online by the expat Nigerian community,” Wheatley said.
While the recruitment drive has helped fill vacancies, it has also created challenges in some rural prisons, where a high concentration of foreign staff has raised concerns about integration and communication. Some prison authorities have also flagged language barriers among recruits.
The UK prison service has been criticized for hiring officers via Zoom interviews instead of in-person assessments. Fairhurst warned that this remote hiring process is leading to underqualified and corrupt officers being recruited.
“Our recruitment process is simply not fit for purpose,” he stated, urging the Prison Service to reinstate in-person interviews and extend training.
Currently, new recruits receive only six weeks of training before being deployed to work in prisons, which many experts believe is insufficient for handling complex security challenges.
Last year, a record 165 prison staff were dismissed for misconduct, marking a 34% increase from the previous year. In one instance, a former officer at HMP Wandsworth was jailed for 15 months after being caught on camera engaging in a sexual act with an inmate.
A Prison Service spokesperson defended the recruitment process, stating that all officers, regardless of nationality, undergo rigorous assessments and training.
“We have strengthened our vetting procedures to ensure all officers meet our high standards,” the spokesperson said.
Despite these assurances, concerns remain over accommodation issues, poor training, and the rapid increase in foreign recruitment. Many new officers, especially those from Nigeria, continue to face harsh living conditions, forcing them to improvise as they navigate their new roles in the UK prison system.
