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United Kingdom: England & Wales

Capital city — London

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Members of staff from “Diversity teams” are trained in the care of prisoners with disabilities. These diversity officers (equality officers, disability liaison officers) are taught how to support, inform and advise these prisoners. They can also work alongside medical staff and those in charge of the unit to ensure proper care is administered. 1

The Equality Act of 2010 states that “prisoners with disabilities must receive the necessary assistance to do the same activities as other prisoners, such as working or going to the gym”. 2

Prisoners with disabilities can have access to a nurse or a doctor. They can also request assistance from the diversity team. Prison rules and regulations are made accessible via simplified text or audio recordings.

The facility must provide “reasonable accommodation” either by adapting the facility or by transferring the prisoner. The prisoner is able to request a wheelchair or walking stick via social services.

Members of staff are required to help prisoners with disabilities, or ask for help from trained inmates. They support them with various tasks, such as; reading, filling out forms, using the telephone, washing their clothes, following medical treatments and accessing information. Specially trained prisoners will occasionally wear a particular T-shirt or a band to distinguish them. 3

  1. National Offender Management Service and Prison Reform Trust, Information book for prisoners with a disability, p. 13. ↩

  2. National Offender Management Service and Prison Reform Trust, Information book for prisoners with a disability, p. 5. ↩

  3. Ibid., p. 18. ↩

  • The Ministry of Justice announced that staff dedicated to helping neurodivergent offenders are in place in all 105 public correctional facilities.

    i
    16/05/2024
    / ministry of justice

  • In February, Lewes Prison opened a special unit for neurodivergent individuals (with autism, ADHD, etc.). The unit can hold 15 people. The number of neurodivergent people incarcerated in this facility is estimated at 200.

    i
    30/04/2024
    / Inside Time

  • A deaf incarcerated person with cancer was handcuffed during a hospital visit. He could not communicate with the sign language interpreter during his cancer treatment consultation.

    i
    11/06/2024
    / Inside Time

Continuity of care is ensured during incarceration. All 118 prisons use the same SystmOne software1. Professionals are required to “maintain, through the hospital information system, an adequate and complete medical record for each prisoner. If necessary, health professionals may share information with services outside the institution: rehabilitation services, community service, probation services, social services…” 2

Eye appointments were suspended for prisoners at the Swansea facility in Wales in March 2020 and were not made available again until January 2022. Around 60 prisoners were waiting for a consultation. The same is true for dental care, with 80 prisoners on the waitlist. The demand for mental health care is increasing, and 60% of prisoners at the facility stated that it was not easy to access mental health care. A report from the Healthcare Inspectorate Wales issued 29 recommendations to improve medical care for prisoners.3

A report by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, released in May 2022, investigated the circumstances surrounding the death of an inmate who died of cardiac arrest at age 54 in Leeds prison. He was found in his cell on 25 September 2021. The inmate had high blood pressure, heart problems and was taking medication for high cholesterol. He also had a history of paranoid schizophrenia. According to health care staff, the inmate refused to take his medication on 13 occasions against medical advice and there was no formal action taken to address his mental health. The study pointed out that a Do Not Attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DNACPR) order was enacted while Mr. Alexis was in hospital in June 2021, which Mr. Alexis stated that he did not request upon his return to prison. The report stated that the DNACPR was not reviewed for ten days. At the time that Mr. Alexis went into cardiac arrest, a staff member waited one to two minutes for her colleagues to arrive before entering the inmate’s cell out of fear of his aggressive behavior, which was found to be an acceptable decision. The Ombudsman’s office deplored the poor treatment of the deceased during his incarceration. It recommended that a personalised care plan to address his heart disease and a mental capacity assessment should have taken place. The report concluded that the inmate did not receive care equivalent to that provided outside of prison.

  1. The Guardian, Prisons linked to single health record IT, April 2011. ↩

  2. National Health Service, Standard Annex to Health and Justice Service Specifications: Adult Prison Estate, March 2018, p. 7. ↩

  3. Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, Local Review of the Quality Governance Arrangements in place within Swansea Bay University Health Board, for the delivery of Healthcare Services to Her Majesty’s Prison Swansea, 2022 ↩

  • A study on cancer incidence and treatment in detention states that incarcerated individuals with cancer are 9% more likely to die than cancer patients in the general population. Diagnosis and treatments are less widely available in detention than outside of it.

    i
    30/04/2024
    / The Guardian

  • The National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death published a report on access to care. The report included the following recommendations: improve monitoring of long-term conditions, plan for emergency transfer of prisoners to hospital, train staff to perform CPR and improve palliative care.

    i
    26/01/2024
    / National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death

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  • The prison service announced in January that prison staff could volunteer to receive training on administering naloxone, which can be used to treat opioid overdoses. The national chair of the Prison Officers’ Association pointed out that this new skill would not result in additional remuneration. He stated that only fully qualified medical professionals should administer this treatment.

    i
    02/04/2024
    / Inside Time

Visitors may bring authorised objects or goods. The PSI 16/2011 defines the list. Objects that are “indecent or obscene, constituting a threat to the security of the prison or are written in coded language” are prohibited.

The visitor is prohibited from releasing anything written by a prisoner intended for publication and from being paid for it.1

Prisons Minister, Victoria Atkins, confirmed in the House of Commons on 25 May 2022 that “families and friends could send books to their imprisoned loved ones - either directly or via approved providers”. The announcement followed the banning of books not sent via approved providers by at least two prisons, in contravention of a rule introduced in 2015 permitting inmates to receive books by hand or by post from any sender. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, families were no longer allowed to hand books directly to their detained loved ones due to the risk of contamination, but were still entitled to post books. Victoria Atkins said that the prisons which acted in contravention of the rule had been reminded of it and their actions addressed.

In the visiting area, facilities display useful information and a list of the main prohibited objects in several languages and with images.2

  1. Department of Justice, Staying in touch with someone in prison. ↩

  2. Department of Justice, PSI 16/2011 on Visits and Visitor Services. ↩

  • The mother of a man incarcerated at HMP Northumberland was not allowed to send or give books to her son, contrary to the Incentives Policy Framework. Inside Time contacted the company that manages the facility, who said they had reviewed the policy in place at the facility. The transmission of books had been stopped due to a policy meant to combat drug trafficking. The company says that it is once again possible to bring books to people incarcerated at the facility.

    i
    22/04/2024
    / Inside Time

Prisoners have the right to vote

yes, some prisoners

Persons convicted of a criminal offence do not have the right to vote.

A minority of people can vote remotely:

  • people in pre-trial detention
  • non sentenced persons
  • civil prisoners

The exercise of the right to vote implies registration on the electoral roll. The registration form must be sent to the relevant department at least 12 working days before the election. Voting is done in two ways:

  • by post: facilities receive ballot papers in advance of the elections. Each voter fills in his ballot paper and returns it. Any ballot paper that arrives after ten in the morning on the day of the vote is not counted.
  • by proxy: the prisoner authorises a third party to vote on their behalf. The proxy holder receives a receipt.1

  1. Website of the Prison Reform Trust, Voting whilst in prison ↩

  • Ahead of the general election, Prison Reform Trust published a guide to inform incarcerated individuals of how to exercise their voting rights.

    i
    12/06/2024
    / Prison Reform Trust

Financial resources are accessible

on a registered account

The expenses of each prisoner are limited to a maximum of £25.50 per week. This limit depends on the status of the person (remanded or sentenced) and their behaviour. (IEP classification).1

  1. HM Inspectorate of Prisons, Life in prison: Earning and spending money, January 2016, p. 3 . ↩

  • Each incarcerated person is allowed to have one account for their financial resources. Each account is divided into three sub-accounts (private resources, spending and savings) and cannot exceed a combined total of £900 without approval from the prison governor.

    i
    02/04/2024
    / Inside Time

There are chaplains in the prisons

yes

The following religions usually have chaplains:

  • Anglican
  • Catholic
  • Methodist
  • Muslim
  • Buddhist
  • Jewish
  • Hindism
  • Sikhism

Any person practicing another religion may also call upon a representative.1

  1. PSI 05/2016 on faith and the pastoral care of prisoners. ↩

  • Women incarcerated at HMP Peterborough have not had a minister of the Pagan faith for over two years.

    i
    12/05/2024
    / Inside Time

Prisoners are free to practice their religion and follow their beliefs

yes

The prison administration recognises the right of everyone to mention their religion and to practice it.1

  1. PSI 05/2016 on faith and the pastoral care of prisoners. ↩

  • A person incarcerated at Moorland Prison complains of not being able to use the incense necessary for his religious practice.

    i
    08/04/2024
    / Inside Time

Prisoners are allowed to pass diplomas and entry examinations

yes

Two universities offered prisoners the possibility of taking free online courses starting in 2022. They would be able to obtain a diploma on completing their course. These modules would cover mainly law and criminology. It was an initiative of DWRM, an organisation working to promote access to higher learning for people deprived of liberty1.

  1. Inside Time,Universities offer free places to prisoners, December 2021. ↩

  • Berwyn Prison and Wrexham University have partnered to offer incarcerated individuals training in law and criminology. The course is accredited by the university and includes content from its law and criminology degree.

    i
    20/05/2024
    / Wrexham University

Prison facilities have a library

yes

i
Prison Rule 33.

Prisoners must be allowed to go there once a week.1

  1. National Offender Management Service and Prison Reform Trust,“Information book for prisoners with a disability“, p. 20. ↩

  • JSTOR, a research database, has been made available to incarcerated persons completing training courses. It includes a collection of 12 million academic journal articles, 100,000 books, and reference documents covering 75 disciplines.

    i
    02/04/2024
    / Inside Time

All prisoners are entitled to spend at least one hour a day in the open air

no

The amount of time spent outdoors varies from one facility to another. It is often about 30 minutes, despite the rule being one hour (Prison Rule 30). The administration uses weather conditions and the need for order and discipline to limit time spent outdoors.1

The Inspectorate of Prisons observed this limited period and deplored the fact that inmates have to choose between this exercise and other necessities (shower, phone call, etc.). They noted that many outside excercise areas remained austere, dirty and uninviting.2

HM Inspectorate of Prisons published its annual report for the period from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022. The Inspector was struck by the time spent by prisoners in their cells: Most of them are only allowed to leave their cells for 30 minutes per day. He noted that restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic remained in place in prisons even after they were lifted on the outside.3

  1. Prison Reform Trust Regime and time out of cellule. ↩

  2. Chief Inspector of Prisons, “Annual Report 2017-18”, July 2018, p. 39. ↩

  3. HM Inspectorate of Prisons, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales, Annual Report 2021-22, 2022 ↩

  • A person incarcerated at HMP Northumberland reported that incarcerated individuals are only allowed 15 minutes a day in the exercise yard.

    i
    02/04/2024
    / Inside Time

High security institutions all have solitary confinement blocks. The others have dedicated wards or cells.

Cells vary depending on the reason for solitary confinement:

  • the sanctioned prisoner is placed in an ordinary cell set up for that purpose. It will be equipped with a bed, bedding, table and seat. Access to sanitary facilities is guaranteed at all times. Furniture or fittings may be authorised at the discretion of the governor.
  • “violent or uncooperative” prisoners are placed in a special cell, empty of all objects and furniture, and sanitary facilities. This type of cell may not be used as a punishment.1

The Chief Inspector of correctional facilities deplores the indiscriminate and careless use of special cells in some institutions.2

  1. Ministry of Justice , PSO publication 1700 on isolation. ↩

  2. HM Inspectorate of Prisons, “Annual Report 2017-2018”. ↩

  • The government announced that the segregation unit at Bedford Prison will be closed. A new segregation unit is expected to open in the spring. This closure is the result of the Howard League’s complaint about the poor material conditions of imprisonment in the unit.

    i
    11/04/2024
    / Howard League for Penal Reform

Prisoners are allowed to cook in their cells or in a shared space

in some facilities

Prisoners can cook their food in certain facilities. The HM Inspectorate of Prisons demonstrated that some high security facilities (such as Full Sutton) have suitable kitchens.

Others do not, such as Wakefield, which is small and under-equipped (insufficient refrigeration facilities, etc.) 1

  1. HM, “Life in prison: Food July 2016, p. 12. ↩

  • The Independent Monitoring Board reported the presence of vast quantities of rat droppings in the kitchen of Pentonville Prison (London). The local authorities – Islington council – ordered the kitchen to be shut.

    i
    23/04/2024
    / Inside Time

People serving a life sentence

8.7 % (7,084)
i
12/2022
/ Council of Europe, SPACE I Report 2023, table 10.

  • The number of women serving indeterminate sentences in September 2023 was 381. They are in the minority, but their numbers are increasing. Prison Reform Trust published a report on the impact of long sentences on prisoner reintegration, in collaboration with women serving sentences of at least 8 years. It notes that the prison service must develop a specific approach for women serving long sentences.

    i
    20/04/2024
    / Prison Reform Trust

Prison facilities are subjected to other external review mechanisms. Every facility in England and Wales is monitored by an Independent Monitoring Board (IMB). Their members, drawn from civil society, are independent volunteers. They participate in at least three or four visits a month. They are selected by the Minister of Justice and the Minister of the Interior. They can enter the institution in question without restriction, at any time. They can speak privately with prisoners of their choice. They regularly share their observations with management teams. They may also share their observations during regional meetings and in front of their National Assembly. The supervisory boards produce an annual report for the Minister.

Facilities are also under the supervision of authorised persons. Their visits do not require any special request from the prisoner and are not counted against the visits to which they are entitled. These persons are listed below:

  • English or Welsh MPs
  • Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
  • Representatives from the Equality and Human Rights Commission, EHRC, or from any other organisation, where the goal of their visit is to highlight, specifically and exclusively, any problems associated with equality.

Meetings are confidential.1

  1. Ministry of Justice, PSI publication 16/2011 on visits and visitor services. ↩

  • The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) published its annual report for 2023.

    i
    22/05/2024
    / Independent Monitoring Boards

The NPM reports are made public

yes

The NPM publishes a yearly report, which is presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Justice. The Inspectorate of Penal Institution will publish, in the 18 weeks following a visit, its inspection report.

  • HM Chief Inspector of Prisons issued an urgent notification on 8 May to the Secretary of State for Justice following an unannounced inspection of Wandsworth Prison. The inspector cited in particular weak points in the security system, the number of suicides, time spent in cells and insufficient staff training.

    i
    09/05/2024
    / HM Inspectorate of Prisons

  • HM Inspectorate of Prisons published a report entitled “Improving Behaviour In Prisons”. The report focuses on eight correctional facilities selected for their good practices in order to summarise common features.

    i
    15/04/2024
    / RussellWebster

Number of deaths in custody

301

i
2022
/ ministry of Justice, Safety in Custody Statistics

A report by the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) is sounding the alarm about the prison conditions at HMP Bristol. The prison has one of the highest numbers of deaths across the country, and the highest level of self-harm. Nine people died in the prison between August 2022 and July 2023. Six of these deaths were suicides and one is a suspected murder.

  • Two incarcerated individuals, aged 73 and 19, died on 7 May at Parc Prison.

    i
    08/05/2024
    / Wales Online

  • A 47-year-old man died on 30 April at Parc Prison. An inquiry has been launched to determine the cause of death. This is the seventh death reported at the prison since the end of February.

    i
    01/05/2024
    / itvNews

  • Four incarcerated persons died in April at HMP Parc, reportedly due to nitazene overdoses. Two other deaths, which occurred in June 2022, were confirmed in March 2024 as isotonitazene overdoses.

    i
    02/04/2024
    / Inside Time

  • Two prisoners passed away in detention at Bridgend Prison on 27 February. Four other deaths were recorded in the following days. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman looked into the deaths, four of which were reportedly related to the use of synthetic opioids.

    i
    22/03/2024
    / Inside Time

Prisoners can be assisted by a lawyer throughout their incarceration

yes

In 2013, the Secretary of State for Justice stopped the provision of legal aid. The Howard League and the Prisoner’s Advice Service submitted an appeal to the Court of Appeal. In February 2018, the Court of Appeal decided to reintroduce legal aid in three cases:

  • a review, prior to the lifting of the security period, authorising a prisoner to be placed in an open facility
  • a reclassification review of category A prisoners
  • placement in a close supervision centre, CSC 1.2

  1. See Security, Order and Discipline section. ↩

  2. The Howard League website, Legal aid cuts for prisoners ↩

  • The Association of Prison Lawyers has reported significant problems in gaining access to their clients in prison. It identified 14 facilities without video call systems, five where solicitors could not communicate with their incarcerated clients by email or telephone, and two where in-person visits by solicitors were not possible.

    i
    03/06/2024
    / Inside Time

  • The Association of Prison Lawyers published a report on the difficulties they face in seeing their clients in detention. Solicitors noted 78 instances across 46 prisons between August 2022 and January 2024 in which communication with a prisoner was challenging or impossible.

    i
    22/01/2024
    / The Law Society Gazette

Number of prison guards (FTE)

25,245

i
31/12/2022
/ Council of Europe, SPACE I Report 2023, table 19.

Workforce statistics from HMPPS cover staff who are employed by HMPPS. They are all civil servants. The official data provided by HMPPS does not include other workers within HMPPS who are employed by third parties (e.g. private sector, CRCs). This number also excludes voluntary workers, HMPPS staff on loan, on secondment out, and those on a career break.1

HM Chief Inspector of Prisons underlines that one of the biggest challenges facing the prison service is recruiting staff to counteract the significant number of departures and absences. The resignation rate increased from 2017 to 2023. In September 2023, the Prison Minister reported that 31% of posts were vacant at Woodhill Prison (Milton Keynes), 29% at Swaleside Prison (Kent) and 24% at Long Lartin (Worcestershire). Fourteen prisons receive officers on detached duty. In August 2022, only 23 of 122 prisons were able to maintain all services and activities. One third of prison officers are new recruits in 2023. The resulting staff shortage heavily impacts prison operations, as prisoners spend more time in their cells and exercise options are cut.

Independent Monitoring Boards for the prisons of Belmarsh, Birmingham and Preston report, numerous problems resulting from staff shortages: loss of property (HMP Belmarsh and HMP Birmingham), long waiting times for dental appointments (HMP Belmarsh), limited access to showers (HMP Belmarsh), fewer visits (HMP Preston) and incomplete renovations to infrastructure that must be completed in the presence of surveillance staff (HMP Preston).

The Operational Stability and Resourcing Panel (OSRP) is a group of experts made up of senior officials that meet once a week to analyse the impact of staff shortages in the prisons of England and Wales. According to authorities, the panel’s role is “to provide support to those prisons with the most acute resourcing pressures”. The Ministry of Justice stated that between November 2020 and November 2022, the panel was called on for help 647 times. The prisons of Woodhill and Wayland seem to be struggling the most: since mid-2021, they each received help on 20 occasions. The prisons of Long Lartin and Swaleside significantly restricted their regimes starting in August 2022 due to staff shortages.

  1. Ministry of Justice, Guide to Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) Workforce Statistics, 2017, p. 7. ↩

  • The Ministry of Justice revealed that 21 facilities employed detached duty officers in 2023. The facilities who relied most on this scheme are located in the south of the country. The use of the detached duty scheme doubled between 2022 and 2023, and there are now four times as many detached duty officers as in 2019.

    i
    09/04/2024
    / Inside Time

  • One hundred and twenty-seven staff members resigned from HMP Lowdham Grange between February and December 2023. The Chief Inspector of Prisons regretted the service’s lack of progress despite previous warnings about the state of the facility.

    i
    20/02/2024
    / BBC

Variation in the capacity of the prison facilities

decrease

The total official capacity decreased by 5.83% between January 2023 (84,548)1 and April 2024 (79,615).

  1. Council of Europe, SPACE I Report 2023, table 16. ↩

  • The prison service announced the suspension of the project to build 500 prison places in women’s prisons.

    i
    02/06/2024
    / Inside Time

  • Between 2010 and 2024, 3,211 prison places were lost to dilapidation.

    i
    18/04/2024
    / Inside Time

Total official capacity of the prison facilities

79,615

i
26/04/2024
/ World Prison Brief, ICPR

  • HMP Prescoed received approval to open new cells to increase its capacity from 250 to 330.

    i
    09/04/2024
    / Nation Cymru

  • In response to the issue of overpopulation, the government constructed 380 prison spaces in 2023. It plans to spend £12 million for the construction of 10,000 additional spaces by the end of 2025.

    i
    2024
    / The Independent

Overcrowding is an issue for specific types of prison facilities

yes

Overpopulation is concentrated in local and Category C prisons. Certain women’s prisons are also experiencing overpopulation. A report published on 18 October 2022 by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons revealed that 60% of prisoners at the Pentonville prison are held in overpopulated cells. Although the facility has a capacity of 871, it currently holds 1,111 prisoners. This overpopulation has created numerous problems: lack of privacy while using the toilets in the cells, cockroach infestations, insufficient furniture other than beds, staff’s unwillingness to solve these problems, and a perceived lack of safety among prisoners. The situation continues to deteriorate with an increase in the number of prisoners in 2023.

  • The Ministry of Justice announced the second use of “Operation Safeguard”, an emergency measure to hold people in police cells when there is insufficient space in correctional facilities.

    i
    10/05/2024
    / RussellWebster

  • Figures from the Ministry of Justice show that 25% of incarcerated people are placed in individual cells occupied by more than one person. Over 11,000 individual cells are occupied by two incarcerated people. 18 individual cells are occupied by three incarcerated people. Three in five prisons are overpopulated. This is especially true in Victorian facilities located in city centres.

    i
    05/05/2024
    / The Guardian

The prison service outsources the management of the facilities to private companies, either partially or fully

yes

The administration fully delegates the management of 15 English prisons to private suppliers. There are three operators involved:

  • G4S, four facilities 
  • Serco, five facilities
  • Sodexo, six facilities.

Parc Prison (Bridgend) is the only prison in Wales under private management.

  • The prison service will definitively take over the management of HMP Lowdham Grange, which had previously been privately managed for decades, most recently by the company Sodexo.

    i
    23/05/2024
    / BBC

  • The Ministry of Justice announced that Mitie Care & Custody signed an agreement to manage HMP Millsike, which will open in 2025. The company currently manages two immigration removal centres (IRCs).

    i
    29/04/2024
    / Inside Time

Budget of the prison service

4,882,819,560

EUR

i
2022
/ Council of Europe, SPACE I Report 2023, table 33.

  • The annual cost of the prison system for the 2022-2023 financial year was £4.1 billion (€4.86 billion). The majority of this amount (85.4%) went to public correctional facilities. The rest funded facilities run by private contractors.

    i
    04/04/2024
    / Inside Time

Hospitalisation is subject to the opinion of the medical team. Admission must be made within 14 days of their decision.

  • The Inspectorate of Prisons published a report on waiting periods for hospital transfers for prisoners with mental health disorders. It criticised the average length of these waiting periods: 85 days. The longest wait reached 462 days.

    i
    19/02/2024
    / BBC

The phones are located

  • in the corridors
  • in the cell

Of the closed facilities managed by the prison service, 86% have telephones in the cells.

All women’s prisons now have a telephone in each cell1 according to the authorities.

  1. Inside Time, In-cell phones at all women’s prisons, october 2021. ↩

  • The prison service stated that 92 public correctional facilities will be equipped with in-cell telephones by the end of February 2024. The Minister of Justice announced in January that telephone lines had been successfully installed in the cells of 86 facilities. All women’s facilities have been equipped with in-cell telephones since 2021.

    i
    19/02/2024
    / Inside Time

Prison facilities are adapted to the needs of prisoners with disabilities

in some facilities

  • The only access lift for the visiting area at Lindholme Prison has been out of service since October 2023. One prisoner’s father explained that a temporary area was available on the ground floor, where prisoners were separated from visitors by a glass screen. A 95-year-old woman had to take the stairs, to the detriment of her health, to visit her incarcerated grandson in the usual conditions.

    i
    16/01/2024
    / Inside Time

Destitute prisoners receive financial or in-kind support

yes

The prison administration contributes a weekly allowance to prisoners in the following cases :

  • unemployed: £2.50
  • short-term illness (up to 4 weeks): £2.50
  • long-term illness (more than 4 weeks): £3.25
  • pensioner/maternity leave or full care of child by mother: £3.25 -
  • outpatient hospitalisation: £4.35

  • A videoconferencing service has been established at Brixton Prison for prisoners who would like advice on managing debt. This service is provided by the association Debt Free Advice.

    i
    18/03/2024
    / Mirror

Individuals or organisations from the outside are allowed to participate in prison activities

yes

  • We Are Survivors received approval to work with prisoners who have been victims of sexual assault. The association will offer talking therapy in 15 facilities in the North West region.

    i
    12/02/2024
    / Pressat

Education is available for all prisoners

yes

The training offered usually includes courses in mathematics, reading, English, business and arts education.

The House of Commons Education Select Committee1 released, in 2022, a report that emphasised the importance of education in prison. The report lamented the reduction in educational participation rates, a 90% drop between 2010/11 and 2017/18. The report called the system “clunky, chaotic and disjointed” and said it did not value education as a key to rehabilitation. Among its recommendations, the Committee called for the use of laptops for inmates pursuing education. The goal of this measure was to find a solution to the digital divide between the general and prison populations, impacting inmates’ ability to rehabilitate. The report also pointed out that over 30% of inmates had learning disabilities. Only 25 qualified Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators(SENCo) were available to serve all public prisons, amounting to 1 educator for every 4 facilities. The Committee recommended the adoption of digital educational passports that would allow access to inmate records to better understand their needs thus allowing educators to tailor the educational strategy to the individual.2

  1. The UK Parliament is constituted of two Chambers : the House of Commons, composed of deputees and who adopt law projects, and the House of Lords, composed of lords names by the King. ↩

  2. House of Commons Education Committee, Not jus another brick in the wall: why prisoners need an education to climb the ladder of opportunity, First Report of Session 2022-2023, 2022 ↩

  • The Chief Inspector of Prisons noted that access to education for prisoners has worsened since the Covid-19 pandemic. Warren Hill Prison in Suffolk has four classrooms, all of which are too small. The prisoners sit on each other’s laps during class. They are not satisfied with the courses available to them.

    i
    27/02/2024
    / FEWEEK

The prison service offers activities to prisoners

yes

All prisoners are assessed for their skills development needs upon arrival. These are recorded in an “Individual Learning Plan” (ILP)“. This plan is available to the prison service and external providers. Access to employment, training and skills development is subject to the prison service’s proposals, the providers’ offer and the prison regime.

The activities usually offered are as follows:

  • vocational training and skills development
  • sport activities
  • cultural and artistic activities
  • rehabilitation programmes
  • work1

  1. Department of Justice, PSI 03/2012 on activities assignment. ↩

  • Inspectors established a connection between increased violence and drug usage with the lack of activities offered at Dovegate Prison. They recommended better access to education, with greater diversity in the choice of courses.

    i
    08/01/2024
    / HM Inspectorate of Prisons

Solitary confinement can be used as

  • punishment
  • protection of person
  • security

The reasons for solitary confinement are :

  • to preserve order and discipline or prisoner protection (Prison Rule 45 / Rule 49 of Juvenile Facilities)
  • close supervision, in a dedicated unit (Close Supervision Centre of the prison/ Prison Rule 46) for those prisoners deemed to be the most disruptive.
  • the separation of prisoners awaiting disciplinary arbitration (Prison Rule 53(4) / Rule 58(4) of Juvenile Facilities)
  • to punish a disciplinary offence (Prison Rule 55(e) / Rule 60(f) of the Rules for Juvenile Facilities).
  • to remove a prisoner guilty of a disciplinary offence from their ward or unit (Prison Rule 55(h) / Rule 60(g) of juvenile facilities).
  • to separate prisoners on hygiene strike, to preserve order and discipline (Prison Rule 45 / Rule 49 of Juvenile Facilities). They shall be placed in a special cell in the solitary confinement unit or in a suitable room.1

Staff may place a prisoner in a protective cell when there is a risk of suicide or self-harm. These cells may be located in disciplinary or isolation wards. The administration, however, does not consider them to be isolation rooms.

Solitary confinement implies specific access to telephones, showers, activities, etc.

  1. Department of Justice, PSO 1700 on solitary confinement. ↩

  • The Independent Monitoring Board published a report on using solitary confinement for prisoners with mental health issues. It noted that the prison service uses this measure too frequently on prisoners with mental health needs, due to the absence of an appropriate alternative.

    i
    31/01/2024
    / Inside Time

A special intervention unit is in charge of restoring order

yes

There are three types of specialised intervention bodies:

  • Specialised teams, organised in regional platforms, are deployed in prisons in their sector. Their mission is to sieze prohibited items (drugs, drones, telephones, etc.). They use mobile phone detection devices and work in cooperation with anti-drug teams. In 2018, the Minister of Justice announced the recruitment of more than 100 specialised prison officers.1
  • the Control & Restraint Units, also known as tornado response, are trained to intervene in the event of a major incident. They are equipped with riot helmets, fire-resistant suitsandhoods, gloves, belts, tonfas with holster, shin guards, elbow pads, intervention shoes and shields.
  • The National tactical response group (NTRG) is an elite body. It is deployed in prisons in the event of a serious incident (large-scale riots, hostage-taking, etc.). In 2017, it had 44 members. In 2018, the number of NTRG interventions in England and Wales (640) represents an increase bof almost 60% compared to 2014 (402).

  1. Department of Justice, press release: New search teams to disrupt and deter violence in prisons, novembre 2018. ↩

  • “Tornado squads” were called out 13 times in 2023. Six requests came from men’s prisons, six from young offender institutes, and one from a women’s prison.

    i
    04/03/2024
    / Inside Time

Security staff carry

of non-lethal weapons

Surveillance personnel have batons, handcuffs and sometimes PAVA sprays at their disposal.

  • A prisoner at HMP Berwyn was held on a metal leash during hospital visits. Since July 2023, this metal leash has been the restraint used when a prisoner who has been handcuffed for transport must be released to use the toilet or undergo medical examination.

    i
    25/02/2024
    / Inside Time

Security functions are fulfilled by

  • penitentiary administration
  • private companies

Security functions in public prisons are devolved to the penitentiary administration. In privately managed facilities they are assumed by private companies.

  • Certain prisoners were appointed “violence reduction reps” by staff members in some correctional facilities. Their role is to defuse any tension in their unit. A study examined this system and noted that the prisoners chosen for this role were often large, muscular and tattooed. The researchers conducting the study concluded that this programme encourages security personnel to withdraw, leaving the prisoners to step in to maintain order.

    i
    03/01/2024
    / Inside Time

Prisoners can buy food products

yes

Prisoners can buy food products from canteens by filling out an order form. 1

  1. National Offender Management Service and Prison Reform Trust, “Information book for prisoners with a disability”, p. 20. ↩

  • The prices of products sold at the prison commissary at Coldingley rose an average of 15% between June 2022 and June 2023, according to research by the Independent Monitoring Board. These rising prices, combined with unchanging salaries for prisoners, make food products increasingly difficult to access.

    i
    01/02/2024
    / Inside Time

  • A prisoner at HMP Wymott listed the different prices of various vegan and non-vegan products available in detention. For the eight products cited, the total for the vegan products was around £12 more.

    i
    01/02/2024
    / Inside Time

The prison service is required to meet nutritional standards regarding quality and quantity

yes

“The food provided shall be wholesome, nutritious, well prepared and served, reasonably varied and sufficient in quantity.” (Prison rule 24)

The prison inspectorate of 2017 stated that prisoners were often served unappetising meals. Menus tended to be repetitive and prisoners often complained about the quality and quantity of food they received. Prisoners considered breakfast to be insufficient and claimed that it was often distributed during the night. As a result, certain prisoners were shocked by how long they had to wait between meals. 1

  1. Chief Inspector of Prisons, “Annual Report 2017-2018. ↩

  • A prisoner at HMP Bullingdon stated that the meals served rarely meet criteria relating to quality and quantity. For example, lunch served by the prison service could be a spoonful of beans and some lettuce or a frozen baguette with two slices of cheese.

    i
    02/01/2024
    / Inside Time

The cells/dormitories are equipped with heating and/or air conditioning

in most cases

All cells must include a heating system (PSI 17/2012 on certified detention facilities). The prison inspectorate’s report of 2017 suggested that a number of prisoners did not have necessary heating or air conditioning in their cells, and that often those who did have these systems claimed that they didn’t work.1

Several prisons are experiencing heating and hot water problems. The Bristol prison, for example, had this problem in both 2021 and 2022. In Winchester, relatives said that prisoners padded their doors and windows with blankets and tape in order to stay warm.

In Littlehey, the family of a prisoner reported that the heating was not working and the cells were cold. Complaints relating to the heating and hot water system of this prison have been recorded during several winters since 2017. These problems are reportedly due to significantly delayed maintenance work, which is itself due to budget cuts.

  1. HM Inspectorate of Prisons, Life in prison: Living conditions, October 2017. ↩

  • A prisoner at HMP Berwyn reported that the heating had failed for the seventh winter in a row.

    A prisoner at HMP Stafford reported that, in contrast, the heating was on constantly all winter. He had to open his window at night to lower the temperature, as it was too hot in his cell for him to sleep. Staff members left doors open to let the heat out and lower the temperature.

    i
    09/01/2024
    / Inside Time

Prisoners are accommodated in single cells

-

  • The number of prisoners sharing cells rose from 27,700 in March 2021 to 33,700 in March 2023.

    i
    09/01/2024
    / Inside Time

Assignment of transgender prisoners to a specific facility depends on

-

Since February 2023, transgender women with male genitalia or who have committed violent crimes may no longer be held in women’s prisons.
The Ministry of Justice believes that “regardless of where prisoners are held, they should be respected in the gender in which they identify, being provided with those items that enable their gender expression”.1

  1. Department of Justice, “Review on the Care and Management of Transgender Offenders”, December 2015, p. 5-6. ↩

  • Five transgender female prisoners are serving their sentences in women’s facilities. One hundred and ninety-eight are held in men’s prisons. The rules relating to holding transgender women in women’s facilities were tightened in 2023.

    i
    01/02/2024
    / Inside Time

Pregnant women are housed in specific units or cells

yes

Pregnant women, or those who have a child no older than 18 months mayask, in writing, to be placed in a Mother-Baby Unit (MBU)1. This decision falls on the prison governor who is thus advised by the Admission Board. If there is insufficient space, a potential transfer of a prisoner to the MBU of another establishment is possible.

  1. Prison Reform Trust, “Information sheet for women in prison for the first time (factsheet for female prisoners)”, October 2017, p. 5 ↩

  • Bronzefield Prison distributed anti-rape alarms to pregnant prisoners, in addition to the alarms already present in the cells. This facility is managed by Sodexo. The company stated that the standard alarms in the cells were functional and that these alarms were a complementary measure. Similar measures have been taken in other institutions, even where there are no pregnant prisoners.

    i
    30/01/2024
    / Inside Time

The legislation provides for a sentence adjustment for pregnant women or women with young children

no

Children whose mothers are serving a sentence longer than 18 months are accommodated by close family or in a foster home.

  • A woman discovered that she was eight months pregnant following a pregnancy test administered upon her arrival in detention. Her prison sentence was cancelled and replaced by a suspended sentence so she could give birth outside of prison. The judges based their decision on the exceptional nature of the case.

    i
    19/01/2024
    / The Guardian

Sentence adjustments can be granted during the incarceration

yes

The Parole Board examines the request for eligibility for parole.1 It reviews life sentences, or IPPs2 at the end of the tariff (the period of unconditional imprisonment)3.
In an attempt to address overcrowding issues, prisoners nearing the end of their sentences can be fast-tracked for access to open prisons. This measure applies to men serving fixed-term sentences for non-violent, non-sexual offences.

  1. Prison Reform Trust, The Parole Board and parole review ↩

  2. Indeterminate Sentence for Public Protection, see the Specific Populations section, Life Imprisonment category. ↩

  3. The period of unconditional imprisonment (tariff) is the minimum length of time a prisoner sentenced to an IPP must remain incarcerated ↩

  • A programme has been established to allow offenders sentenced to four years or less in prison to be released up to 18 days before the end of their sentence. The programme’s period of application has not been defined.

    i
    25/02/2024
    / The Guardian

One in four prisoners have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with or without hyperactivity, according to a report published by the ADHD Foundation. The report asserts that, if the disorder was properly recognised in prisons, criminality could be reduced by 32% for men and 41% for women. The Foundation’s doctors recommend that prisons systematically screen newly-arrived prisoners for ADHD.1

  1. ADHD Foundation, ADHD in the Criminal Justice System: A case for change, 2022 ↩

  • The Chief Inspector of Prisons noted that no provision was made for psychological treatment at Morton Hall.

    i
    26/02/2024
    / HM Inspectorate of Prisons

The law provides for a sentence adjustment system

yes

The Ministry of Justice announced, in 2022, a reform of the parole system with the aim of putting “the emphasis firmly back on public protection”. A Ministerial check by the Ministry of Justice will be added for the release of the “most serious offenders”. Victims can now attend parole hearings and ask questions. Victims, the media and prisoners will be able to request that these hearings be held publicly. The criteria for release will change. Parole Boards will now include greater numbers of members with policing backgrounds and will no longer include professionals working with the prisoners requesting release. The National Association of Probation Officers (Napo) strongly disapproves of these changes. The head of the Parole Board stated that these new rules could lead to a “lack of clarity” in the evidence provided.

Prison Reform Trust asserted that the changes in the reform give the Ministry of Justice veto power over prisoners’ access to parole. The charity further explained that these decisions are not without political influence. It published a letter it had sent to the Ministry of Justice to support its claims.

  • The Chief Inspector of Prisons noted that many prisoners at Morton Hall were still in detention after their scheduled release date.

    i
    26/02/2024
    / HM Inspectorate of Prisons

Vocational training is provided

yes

Prison administrations provide professional training and support for teachers.1 The training courses usually offered include plumbing, hairdressing, masonry, bicycle mechanics, hospitality and catering…

The law now allows prisoners in open facilities to participate in apprenticeship programmes. These programmes combine work and training so prisoners can gain professional experience. The first prisoners to participate in apprenticeships began in October 2022. A prisoner at the open prison Thorn Cross began works as a chef de partie while taking a Level 2 apprenticeship in hospitality. Another prisoner began working for the construction company Kier.

  1. Chief Inspector of Prisons, “Annual Report 2017-18”, July 2018, p. 42 . ↩

  • The Chief Inspector of Prisons noted that training options at Morton Hall Prison are insufficient.

    i
    26/02/2024
    / HM Inspectorate of Prisons

The NPM recommendations are effectively implemented

-

  • The Chief Inspector of Prisons published a report following a visit to Bedford Prison. He criticised the squalid material conditions of imprisonment and poor access to education, training and exercise.

    In its annual report for 2022/23, the NPM highlighted the government’s inaction in response to its repeated calls to improve imprisonment conditions.

    i
    14/02/2024
    / BBC

Deaths in custody are logged in a register

yes

  • Every week since 22 February 2024, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has published the names of prisoners who have passed away as well as the facility in which they were held and the date of their death.

    i
    08/03/2024
    / Inside Time

The salary of prison officers is between £22,000 and £30,000 a year for 39-hour weeks. It takes into account cost of living where the work takes place. National Living Wage is about £15,880.

The staff have:

  • Twenty-five days of annual leave (which rises to 30 after 10 years of service)
  • paid leave for public holidays and one additional day off
  • Public Service Pension Plan (up to 20% of their salary)
  • service vouchers for childcare
  • Cycle to Work programme (staff are given a bicycle and equipment to get to their place of work)
  • travel loans…1

  1. Prison Service website, Prison officer - Rewards and benefits ↩

  • The Prisons Minister reported that pay for prison officers had increased by £10,000 between 2019 and 2023. The prison service noted that resignations had decreased and attributed this change to higher pay and improved staff support.

    i
    10/01/2024
    / Inside Time

The most common nationalities in prisons are Polish (9%), Albanian (8%), Romanian (8%), Irish (8%) and Jamaican (5%). 1

  1. Ministry of Justice, “Offender Management Statistics Bulletin, England and Wales “, p. 3. ↩

  • Inside Time reports that Albanian nationals represent the largest group of foreign nationals in prison, with around 1,400 prisoners.

    i
    12/03/2024
    / Inside Time

Foreign prisoners are allowed to remain in the country after having served their sentence

no

Foreign prisoners sentenced to 12 months or more imprisonment under the UK Borders Act of 2007, and outside the European Economic Area (EEA), are automatically deported at the end of their sentence. They can avoid this if they demonstrate that the deportation “violates their rights guaranteed by the Human Rights Act”. Foreign nationals of an EEA country can only be deported in accordance to “public action, public security or public health”. Irish citizens are only deported in exceptional circumstances.1

It is the decision of the Borders and Immigration Agency to deport prisoners at the end of their sentences. The prisoner is informed of the decision and an IDO (Immigration Detention Order) is sent to the appropriate facility. Foreign prisoners refusing deportation may be able to make an appeal via a counsellor. Prisoners are kept in detention or transferred to detention centres whilst their deportation is pending.2

  1. Prisoners’ Advice Service, “Information Sheet: Foreign National/s in the prison system p. 1. ↩

  2. Prison Reform Trust and HM Prison Service/NOMS, “Prisoners’ Information Book: male prisoners and young offenders” 2008, p. 152. ↩

  • Around 1,500 people are removed from UK prisons each year through the Early Removal Scheme for prisoners nearing the end of their sentence. On returning to their country of origin, they do not go to prison but are instead set free.

    i
    12/03/2024
    / Inside Time

  • The United Kingdom has signed prisoner transfer agreements (PTA) with numerous countries. Fifty transfers within the framework of a PTA were completed in 2022, and 23 more in the first 11 months of 2023.

    For the first time, an Albanian prisoner was transferred to Albania to serve his sentence. The United Kingdom paid Albania £4 million as part of the PTA. The agreement was signed in 2021 and “toughened” in 2023.

    i
    12/03/2024
    / Inside Time

Number and percentage of foreign prisoners

12 % (9,797)
i
31/12/2022
/ Council of Europe, SPACE I Report 2023, table 12.

  • The government is considering plans to transfer foreign national prisoners to correctional facilities in their country of origin. Prison Reform Trust is raising the alarm about this operation, which the organisation considers a costly and complicated method of increasing the prison estate.

    i
    05/02/2024
    / Prison Reform Trust

Variation in the number of prisoners

increase

The prison population increased by 6.57% between January 2023 (81,806)1 and May 2024 (87,177).

  1. Conseil de l’Europe, Rapport SPACE I 2023, tableau 3. ↩

  • On 3 January 2024, the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) published a report on increases in the prison population titled “Prison population growth: drivers, implications and policy considerations”. The report details the factors behind the increase in the number of prisoners and puts forth measures that the government could implement in the short term to address this issue.

    i
    05/01/2024
    / Russell Webster