Steve Gillan, the union’s general secretary, said as few as 17 officers are responsible for as many as 3,000 inmates on some nights.
Open prisons are used to familiarise inmates with the personal responsibilities associated with daily life once they are released back into society.
But prison officers say that too many unsuitable inmates are being “dumped” into open prisons as a short-term solution to overcrowding in other jails.
Mr Gillan said that prisons were working with 1,000 fewer officers and support staff than needed. The Ministry of Justice denied the claims and insisted that dangerous and disruptive prisoners are not sent to open prisons.
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