The MoJ said almost 2,000 prison officers have been recruited since the launch of a campaign to bring in 2,500 additional officers by the end of this year - a target that includes a pledged 20 per cent increase in the number of staff on the operational frontline in young offender institutions (YOIs).
Figures released by the MoJ show there was a net increase of 1,970 officers from October 2016 to December last year across the entire prison estate - covering young people and adults - up from 17,955 to 19,925.
However, data for individual establishments suggests that there is still some way to go in terms of recruiting staff to the eight young offender institutions (YOIs) that hold under-18s. During 2017 the number of full-time equivalent prison officers in under-18s YOIs rose by 29, or 2.9 per cent.
But the figures for staffing in under-18s YOIs only provide a partial picture because they exclude around 60 staff who are being transferred into the Youth Custody Service from the Youth Justice Board.
In addition the figures do not cover Ashfield YOI and Parc YOI, the two under-18s prisons that have been contracted out.
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