Four Police and Crime Commissioners in the West Midlands presented to government a hard-hitting six-month study into crime in prisons after months of research and multi-agency work.

The in-depth look at crime behind bars also presents a future plan for straightforward solutions to tackle criminality across the prisons estate.

The Staffordshire Commissioner’s Office took the lead on the work on behalf of all West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioners and visited prisons throughout the region. Staffordshire itself has 8 prisons – one of the highest number of prisons in a single county across the country.

Staffordshire University’s Professor James Treadwell and Dr Kate Gooch, from University of Leicester, both experts in the field, were commissioned to carry out the in-depth study. They spoke to prisoners, prison governors, staff and multiple agencies throughout the West Midlands over a period of 6 months.

The multi-agency approach in the West Midlands has resulted in all key agencies working together to tackle the systematic and deep-rooted problems and led to the development of a five-point plan to address these.