Thousands of staff disciplined over the last three years following a spate on prison sex, drugs and corruption scandals

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has dismissed 849 members of staff for misconduct over the last three years, according to official figures.

The data, obtained under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, also revealed that 3,142 members of staff received formal penalties for bad behaviour during the period.

The MoJ also dished out 1,245 written warnings and a further 869 final written warnings to staff. An additional 188 staff were given verbal warnings.

In January this year, a former HMP Wandsworth prison officer was jailed for 15 months after being filmed having sex with an inmate. In February, another prison officer was jailed for 12 months after admitting having an inappropriate relationship with an inmate at HMP Five Wells in Wellingborough.

This month, a former prison officer who had pled guilty to misconduct in public office and possession of cannabis was sentenced after triggering 102 corruption concerns.

Kenny MacAulay, CEO of Acting Office, a software platform for accounting practices said: “Large organisations like the MoJ face a monumental challenge when it comes to rooting out corruption, misconduct, and malpractice. Tackling increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes and reducing risk requires the latest technology to uphold standards, promote transparency and deliver real value to taxpayers.”

Dr Janet Bastiman, chief data scientist at Napier AI said, “With rising levels of financial crime, it’s critical that organisations like the MoJ continue to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to incidents of misconduct.

As the UK’s epicentre for justice, maintaining public trust through transparency and accountability is vital for maintaining standards and sending a clear signal to criminals, money launderers and fraudsters that suspicious activity will be rooted out and dealt with swifty.”