The number of prison workers disciplined for illicit relationships with inmates has almost tripled in less than a decade – amidst a flurry of young female officers winding up in jail themselves after becoming entangled with criminals.Figures obtained via a freedom of information request show 32 prison officers were subject to disciplinary action in 2024-25 after forming an 'inappropriate relationship' with a prisoner or ex-prisoner, up from 12 in 2017-18.On average, more than seven in ten are recommended for dismissal each year, rising from seven in 2017-18 to 16 in 2023-24.Individual figures for each prison were supplied for only a handful of sites by HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), citing data protection laws. There are around 36,000 prison staff in England and Wales.In many cases, officers facing disciplinary action are young, female staff who formed illicit relationships with prisoners, helping them to smuggle drugs into jail in order to win their affections.Critics have suggested HMPPS is failing to properly vet and train new recruits to ensure they are not seduced by canny inmates.Neil O'Brien, the shadow minister for policy renewal who obtained the data, told the Daily Mail: 'The selection of staff is clearly failing to weed out people with the wrong mindset and attitudes. 'The prison service needs an overwhelming focus on selecting people who will keep order in prisons and protect public safety, rather than any other softer goals. That goal should influence the whole process of recruitment.' Linda De Sousa Abreu (pictured arriving at court) was jailed for 15 months after enaging in a sexual relationship with an inmate at HMP Wandsworth Isabelle Dale was locked up after embarking on sexual relationships with two inmates, allegedly having sex with one in a prison's prayer space