| No to privatisation and cost-cutting in the justice sector is the message of a new campaign we are backing. Speak up for webThe Speak Up for Justice campaign launched by the TUC today and backed by 7 justice sector unions, including PCS, GMB, Unite, POA, Napo and Unison, is against cuts to jobs and services, and for a properly funded justice system. A report, Justice for Sale, undertaken by think-tank the New Economics Foundation on behalf of the TUC looks at the growth of outsourcing where work once carried out by the public sector is now being handled by private companies. Justice for Sale is the first activity of the campaign which is calling for an integrated, publicly-owned, accessible and accountable justice system. Harder to access justice The report shows the scale of private sector involvement in the UK’s prisons and probation service has increased dramatically in the last 4 years and the overwhelming majority of contracts are held by just three companies. Our general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “From courts closures to legal aid cuts, charges for tribunals and prison privatisation, this government is making it harder for people to get access to justice. Without providing recourse to a fair, open and properly-resourced justice system this country will lose the right to call itself civilised.” Prison overcrowding The report looks in detail at what has been happening in the 3 areas of offender management in England and Wales: prisons probation electronic tagging. One in 6 of the UK’s prisons is now run privately – a higher figure than anywhere else in Europe, says the report and they tend to be more overcrowded. In 2012-13, 29.3% of prisoners in privately-managed prisons were being held in overcrowded accommodation compared to 21.8% in those run by the state. There are real concerns over the impact this has upon inmates, says the report. It also notes that all prison contracts are held by just 3 companies – G4S, Serco and Sodexo. Justice for Sale calls for: Failing private sector prisons to be brought back into public management Full consultation with staff, public and service users before a public service is put out to tender An independent review of the electronic monitoring of offenders Reforms in the probation service to be put on hold while independently-evaluated pilot takes place An independent review of prison structures looking into overcrowding, closures and the impact on service quality and the workforce The previous poor performance of bidders, including breaches of employment law, health and safety, environmental and tax obligations, to be taken into account during any tendering process. What you can do Sign the petition against justice cuts and privatisation Read the report Visit the website: speakupforjustice.org Back the campaign on Twitter #speakup4justice |