View source for His Majesty's Prison Service

{{Short description|Government service managing most of the prisons within England and Wales}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2024}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox government agency
| name            = His Majesty's Prison Service
| type            = [[Executive Agency]]
| seal            =
| seal_caption    =
| logo            = File:HM Prison Service logo.jpg
| logo_caption    =
| formed          =
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| jurisdiction    = England and Wales, [[United Kingdom]]
| headquarters    = Clive House, 70 Petty France, [[London]], SW1H 9AJ
| coordinates     =
| employees       =
| budget          =
| minister1_name  = [[James Timpson, Baron Timpson|The Lord Timpson]]
| minister1_pfo   = [[Minister of State for Prisons and Probation|Minister of State for Prisons, Parole and Probation]]
| chief1_name     = Phil Copple
| chief1_position = Director General
| chief2_name     = Michelle Jarman-Howe
| chief2_position = COO of Prisons
| chief3_name     = Neil Richards
| chief3_position = Executive Director of Custodial Contracts
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| parent_department = [[Ministry of Justice (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Justice]]
| parent_agency   =
| child1_agency   =
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| keydocument1    =
| website         = [https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-prison-and-probation-service Official website]
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[[File:Clive House - 70 Petty France, London, SW1H 9EX.JPG|thumb|Clive House, the current head office of HM Prison Service, the same building as [[HM Prison and Probation Service]]]]
[[File:Cleland House.jpg|thumb|Cleland House (now demolished), the former head office of HM Prison Service]]
'''His Majesty's Prison Service''' ('''HMPS''') is a part of [[HM Prison and Probation Service]] (formerly the National Offender Management Service), which is the part of [[His Majesty's Government]] charged with managing most of the [[prison]]s within [[England and Wales]] ([[Scotland]] and [[Northern Ireland]] have their own prison services: the [[Scottish Prison Service]] and the [[Northern Ireland Prison Service]], respectively).

The Director General of HMPS, currently Phil Copple, is the administrator of the prison service.<ref>{{Cite web|title=HM Prison Service|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-prison-service|access-date=2021-12-05|website=GOV.UK|language=en}}</ref> The Director General reports to the [[Secretary of State for Justice]] and also works closely with the Prisons Minister, a junior ministerial post within the [[Ministry of Justice (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Justice]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2021}}

The [[statement of purpose]] for His Majesty's Prison Service states that "[His] Majesty's Prison Service serves the public by keeping in custody those committed by the courts. Our duty is to look after them with humanity and help them lead law abiding and useful lives in custody and after release". The Ministry of Justice's objective for prisons seeks "Effective execution of the sentences of the courts so as to reduce re-offending and protect the public".{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}}

It has its head office in Clive House in [[London]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Home|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-prison-service|access-date=2021-04-20|publisher=His Majesty's Prison Service|quote=We have already welcomed the abandonment of the Titan prison proposals}}</ref> and previously its head office was in Cleland House in the [[City of Westminster]], London.<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090617174352/http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/abouttheservice/contactdetails/ |archive-date=17 June 2009 |url=http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/abouttheservice/contactdetails/ |title=Contact us |work=HM Prison Service |access-date=13 February 2010 |quote=HM Prison Service Headquarters Cleland House Page Street London, SW1P 4LN.}}</ref>

The [[British Overseas Territory]] of [[Bermuda]]'s [[HM Prison Service, Bermuda|HM Prison Service]] (renamed the ''Department of Corrections'' in 2002) is a separate organisation.

As of 2019, the [[recidivism]] rate in the UK is almost 50% after one year.<ref>{{cite news |date= 7 July 2019 |title= How Norway turns criminals into good neighbours |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-48885846 |work= BBC News |access-date= 22 March 2025}}</ref>

==Operation==
In 2004, the Prison Service was responsible for 130 prisons and employed around 44,000 staff. {{As of|2009}} the number of prisons had risen by one (of which 11 were privately owned).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/abouttheservice/performanceratings/ |title=Performance ratings |publisher=Government of the United Kingdom |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090726115128/http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/abouttheservice/performanceratings/ |archive-date=26 July 2009 }}</ref>

Population statistics for the service are published weekly. Those for 24 June 2016 counted 85,130 prisoners; 95.47% were male.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/prisons-and-probation/prison-population-figures-2016 |title=Prison population figures: 2016 |publisher=Government of the United Kingdom |access-date=30 June 2016 }}{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Those for the year to 31 March 2019 showed a fall to 83,013 (annual average); 95% were male.<ref name=digest>{{cite web |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/820683/Digest_summary_2018-19.pdf |title=HMPPS Digest: A Summary Published to accompany HMPPS Annual Digest 2018/19 |publisher=HMPPS |date=25 July 2019}}</ref>

HMPPS has a duty to implement the sentences and orders of the courts, to protect the public and to rehabilitate offenders. There are various ways a prisoner can be purposefully rehabilitated; including education, training, work and undertaking targeted accredited programmes.<ref name=digest/>

Prisoners in England and Wales have a daily regime which might include employment and training on temporary licence outside of prison. In financial year 2018/19, 12,100 prisoners on average were employed in custody, delivering 17.1 million hours worked over the year. Average monthly net earnings per prisoner was £1,083 before the [[Prisoners' Earnings Act 1996|Prisoner Earnings Act]] (PEA) levy was applied.<ref name=digest/>

On 31 March 2019, there were 37,735 staff in post. This was an increase of 2,452 staff on 31 March 2018, when a total of 35,293 were staff in post. Over the two-year period from 31 March 2017 to the latest year, 4,894 extra staff were in post (32,841 staff were in post on 31 March 2017).<ref name=digest/>

Drug finds in prisons again rose; in the 12 months to March 2019, they numbered 18,435 an increase of 41% over the previous alike period.<ref name=digest/>

==History==
===18th century===
During the eighteenth century, a wide variety of measures were used to punish crime, including fines, the pillory, and whipping. Until 1776, transportation to the American colonies was often offered as an alternative to the death penalty; which could be imposed for many offences including [[theft|pilfering]]. When prison spaces were exhausted in 1776, sailing vessels (''hulks'') were used for temporary confinement.<ref>DouglasHay, "Crime and justice in eighteenth-and nineteenth-century England." ''Crime and Justice'' 2 (1980): 45–84.</ref><ref>Phillip Thurmond Smith, ''Policing Victorian London: political policing, public order, and the London Metropolitan Police'' (1985).</ref>

The most notable reformer was high sheriff of Bedfordshire [[John Howard (prison reformer)|John Howard]]. Having visited several hundred prisons across England and Europe, Howard published ''The State of the Prisons'' in 1777.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Howard |first=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4EhNAAAAYAAJ |title=The State of the Prisons in England and Wales: With Preliminary Observations, and an Account of Some Foreign Prisons |date=1777 |publisher=William Eyres |language=en}}</ref> He discovered prisoners who were confined, despite being acquitted, as they could not pay the jailer's fees. Howard proposed that each prisoner should be in a separate cell, with separate sections for female felons, male felons, young offenders, and debtors. The prison reform charity, the [[Howard League for Penal Reform]], is Howard's namesake.

The [[Penitentiary Act]] passed in 1779 following Howard's agitation. It introduced solitary confinement, religious instruction, a labour regime, and proposed two state penitentiaries: one for men and one for women. These were never built due to disagreements in the committee and pressures from wars with France, so jails remained a local responsibility. But other measures passed in the next few years providing magistrates with the powers to implement many of these reforms. In 1815 jail fees were abolished.<ref>Simon Devereaux, "The making of the Penitentiary Act, 1775–1779." ''Historical Journal'' 42.2 (1999): 405–433.</ref>

===19th century===
[[File:Painting of prison hulks and other ships, River Thames, England, circa 1814.jpg|thumb|400px|Prison hulks in the [[River Thames]] (painting {{circa|1814}})]]

Quakers such as [[Elizabeth Fry]] continued to publicise the dire state of prisons as did [[Charles Dickens]] about the [[Marshalsea]] in his novels ''[[David Copperfield (novel)|David Copperfield]]'' and ''[[Little Dorrit (novel)|Little Dorrit]]''.<ref>Robert Alan Cooper, "Jeremy Bentham, Elizabeth Fry, and English Prison Reform." ''Journal of the History of Ideas'' 42.4 (1981): 675–690.</ref> [[Samuel Romilly]] managed to repeal the death penalty for theft in 1806, but repealing it for other similar offences brought in a political element that had previously been absent. The Society for the Improvement of Prison Discipline, founded in 1816, supported both the [[Panopticon]] for the design of prisons and the use of the [[treadwheel]] as a means of hard labour. By 1824, 54 prisons had adopted this means of discipline.<ref>{{harvnb|Morris|Rothman|1995|p=97}}</ref> Robert Peel's [[Gaols Act 1823]] ([[4 Geo. 4]]. c. 64) attempted to impose uniformity in the country but local prisons remained under the control of magistrates until the [[Prison Act 1877]].

The American [[separate system]] attracted the attention of some reformers and led to the creation of [[Millbank Prison]] in 1816 and [[Pentonville (HM Prison)|Pentonville prison]] in 1842. By now the end of transportation to Australia and the use of hulks was in sight and [[Joshua Jebb]] set an ambitious program of prison building with one large prison opening per year.<ref>Eric Stockdale, "The Rise of Joshua Jebb, 1837-1850." ''British Journal of Criminology'' 16 (1976): 164+.</ref>

The main principles were separation and hard labour for serious crimes, using tread-wheels and cranks. However, by the 1860s public opinion was calling for harsher measures in reaction to an increase in crime which was perceived to come from the 'flood of criminals' released under the penal servitude system. The reaction from the committee set up under the commissioner of prisons, Colonel [[Edmund Frederick du Cane]], was to increase minimum sentences for many offences with deterrent principles of 'hard labour, hard fare, and a hard bed'.<ref>{{harvnb|Fox|1952|p=46}}</ref> In 1877 he encouraged [[Disraeli]]'s government to remove all prisons from local government and held a firm grip on the prison system till his forced retirement in 1895. He also established a tradition of secrecy which lasted till the 1970s so that even magistrates and investigators were unable to see the insides of prisons.<ref>{{harvnb|Morris|Rothman|1995|p=153}}</ref> By the 1890s the prison population was over 20,000.

The British penal system underwent a transition from harsh punishment to reform, education, and training for post-prison livelihoods. The reforms were controversial and contested. From 1877, a series of major legislative reforms enabled significant improvement in the penal system. In 1877, the previously localised prisons were nationalised in the Home Office under a Prison Commission. The [[Prison Act 1898]] enabled the Home Secretary to enact multiple reforms on his own initiative, without going through the politicised process of Parliament.

===20th Century===
The [[Probation of Offenders Act 1907]] introduced a new probation system that drastically cut down the prison population, while providing a mechanism for the transition back to normal life. The [[Criminal Justice Administration Act 1914]] required courts to allow a reasonable time before imprisonment was ordered for people who did not pay their fines. Previously tens of thousands of prisoners had been sentenced solely for that reason. The [[Borstal]] system after 1908 was organised to reclaim young offenders, and the [[Children Act 1908]] ([[8 Edw. 7]]. c. 67) prohibited imprisonment under age 14, and strictly limited that of ages 14 to 16. The principal reformer was Sir [[Evelyn Ruggles-Brise]], the chair of the Prison Commission.<ref>{{cite book |first=R. C. K. |last=Ensor |title=England 1870-1914 |date=1937 |pages=520–21}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=J. W. |last=Fox |title=The Modern English Prison |date=1934}}</ref>

====Winston Churchill====
Major reforms were championed by [[Liberal Party (UK)|the Liberal Party government]] in 1906–1914. The key player was [[Winston Churchill in politics, 1900–1939|Winston Churchill]] when he was the Liberal [[Home Secretary]], 1910–1911.<ref>{{cite book |first=Jamie |last=Bennett |chapter=The Man, the Machine and the Myths: Reconsidering Winston Churchill's Prison Reforms |editor-first=Helen |editor-last=Johnston |title=Punishment and Control in Historical Perspective |date=2008 |pages=95–114 |doi=10.1057/9780230583443_6 |isbn=978-1-349-36180-9 |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/9780230583443_6}}</ref> He first achieved fame as a prisoner in the Boer war in 1899. He escaped after 28 days and the media, and his own book, made him a national hero overnight.<ref>{{cite book |first=Candice |last=Millard |title=Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill |date=2016}}</ref> He later wrote, "I certainly hated my captivity more than I have ever hated any other in my whole life. ... Looking back on those days I've always felt the keenest pity for prisoners and captives."<ref>{{cite book |first=Paul |last=Addison |author-link=Paul Addison |title=Churchill: The Unexpected Hero |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fa2h24pcwAUC&pg=PT59 |year=2005 |page=51 |publisher=OUP Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-160857-5}}</ref> As Home Secretary he was in charge of the nation's penal system. Biographer [[Paul Addison]] says. "More than any other Home Secretary of the 20th century, Churchill was the prisoner's friend. He arrived at the Home Office with the firm conviction that the penal system was excessively harsh." He worked to reduce the number sent to prison in the first place, especially those imprisoned for their delay in paying fines, or for debts. He shortened their terms, and made life in prison more tolerable, and rehabilitation more likely. His reforms were not politically popular, but they had a major long-term impact on the British penal system.<ref>Edward Moritz, Jr., "Winston Churchill – Prison Reformer," ''The Historian'' 20#4 (1958), pp. 428-440 {{JSTOR|24437567}}</ref><ref>Victor Bailey, "Churchill As Home-Secretary—Prison Reform." ''History Today'' vol 35 (March 1985): 10–13.</ref>

====Borstal system====
{{Main articles|Borstal}}
In 1894–1895, [[Herbert Gladstone]]'s Committee on Prisons showed that criminal propensity peaked from the mid-teens to the mid-twenties. He took the view that central government should break the cycle of offending and imprisonment by establishing a new type of reformatory, that was called ''[[Borstal]]'' after the village in [[Kent]] which housed the first one in 1902.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-03-11 |title=Borstal Prison - The Institutional History Society |url=https://institutionalhistory.com/homepage/prisons/major-prisons/borstal-prison/ |access-date=2024-12-30 |language=en-US}}</ref> The movement reached its peak after the first world war when [[Alexander Paterson (penologist)|Alexander Paterson]] became commissioner, delegating authority and encouraging personal responsibility in the fashion of the [[Public school (UK)|English public school]]: cellblocks were designated as 'houses' by name and had a ''[[housemaster]]''. Cross-country walks were encouraged, and no one ran away.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}} 

Borstal populations remained at a low level until after the Second World War when Paterson died and the movement was unable to update itself. Some aspects of Borstal found their way into the main prison system, including [[Open prison|open prisons]] and housemasters (renamed ''assistant governors''), and many Borstal-trained prison officers used their experience in the wider service.{{sfn|Morris|Rothman|1995}}{{pn|date=December 2024}}

In 1988, borstals were replaced with [[His Majesty's Young Offender Institution|young offender institutions]] for those aged 18-20, and secure children’s homes for those aged 10-17. Education, training and support are still the main focuses.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prison reform - Crime and Punishment in Britain since c.1900 - OCR B - GCSE History Revision - OCR B |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z8sqjsg/revision/7 |access-date=2024-12-30 |website=BBC Bitesize |language=en-GB}}</ref>

====Later Reforms====
In general, the prison system in the twentieth century remained in Victorian buildings which steadily became more and more overcrowded with inevitable results.{{sfn|Morris|Rothman|1995}}{{pn|date=December 2024}}

In 1979, the [[Premiership of Margaret Thatcher|government of Margaret Thatcher]] began implementing the "[[Short, sharp shock#UK politics|short, sharp shock]]" programme. However, it was soon found to have had no effect on reoffending, with more than half of offenders being convicted again within a year, and was abandoned.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jones |first=Bill |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ichjq_TiudUC&dq=%22short+sharp+shock%22+%22fitter%22&pg=PA238 |title=Political Issues in Britain Today |date=1999-06-12 |publisher=Manchester University Press |isbn=978-0-7190-5432-7 |language=en}}</ref>

===21st century===
Early in 2004, it was announced that the Prison Service would be integrated into a new [[National Offender Management Service]] later in the year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=House of Commons - Home Affairs - Written Evidence|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmhaff/193/193we21.htm|access-date=2021-04-20 |website=publications.parliament.uk}}</ref>

In 2008, there were plans for rationalisation of the prison management system with the advent of the [[Titan Prison]] concept, however these were abandoned in 2009.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2009-04-24 |title=Titan prisons plans 'abandoned' |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8015999.stm |access-date=2024-12-29 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

In 2016, six existing prisons were give prisons", with prison governors in charge of operation and budget. Penal charities claimed reforms would fail if prisoners were "crammed into filthy institutions with no staff". The reforms have not expand beyond the first six prisons as planned, as the necessary legislation has stalled due to the [[2017 United Kingdom general election|2017 UK general election]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prison reform: the greatest overhaul of prisons in a generation? - Committees - UK Parliament |url=https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/102/justice-committee/news/99608/prison-reform-the-greatest-overhaul-of-prisons-in-a-generation/ |access-date=2024-12-29 |website=committees.parliament.uk |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35518477|title=Pilot in prisons seeks to cut violence |date=8 February 2016 |publisher=BBC |newspaper=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Prison reform inquiry - Committees - UK Parliament |url=https://committees.parliament.uk/work/3548/prison-reform-inquiry/ |access-date=2024-12-29 |website=committees.parliament.uk |language=en}}</ref>

In 2017, the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) became Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), now known as His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service following Charles III's accession to the throne in September 2022.

==Current issues==
{{also|United Kingdom prison population}}
The imprisonment rate for England and Wales is the highest in western Europe,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Travis |first=Alan |date=2017-03-14 |title=England and Wales have highest imprisonment rate in western Europe |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/mar/14/england-and-wales-has-highest-imprisonment-rate-in-western-europe |access-date=2024-11-08 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> and at roughly the "midpoint" worldwide.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/uk/06/prisons/html/nn2page1.stm|publisher=BBC|title=Prison population|access-date=14 August 2018}}</ref> The prison population numbered 83,165 in August 2018. The [[Ministry of Justice]] has projected that this will rise to 86,400 by March 2023.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Grierson |first=Jamie |date=2018-08-23 |title=Prison population set to rise despite overcrowding crisis |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/aug/23/prison-population-set-to-rise-despite-overcrowding-crisis |access-date=2024-11-08 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> The government plans to increase the time some prisoners spend in prison.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bowcott |first=Owen |date=2019-10-14 |title='Lynch mob politics': experts denounce plans for longer jail terms |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/oct/14/lynch-mob-politics-experts-denounce-plans-for-longer-jail-terms |access-date=2024-11-08 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

Recent issues affecting the prison system include overcrowding, lower levels of staffing and the increased availability of [[synthetic cannabinoids]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/05/14/prison-nurses-ending-hospital-levels-spice-fumes/|title=Prison nurses are ending up in hospital because of levels of 'Spice' fumes|date=14 May 2018|access-date=11 September 2018|newspaper=The Telegraph|last1=Taylor|first1=Rosie}}</ref> and [[Unmanned aerial vehicle|drone]]s for smuggling. Despite a fall in crime rates between 2010 and 2016, the prison population continued to rise, while staff numbers were reduced,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Travis |first=Alan |date=2017-08-30 |title=Surge in jail population adds to strain on overstretched prison service |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/aug/30/surge-in-jail-population-adds-to-strain-on-overstretched-prison-service |access-date=2024-11-08 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> with the number of prison officers being reduced from 25,000 in 2010 to about 18,000 in 2015.<ref name="bbc-20161103">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37854358 |title=Prisons to get 'biggest overhaul in a generation' |work=BBC News|date=3 November 2016 |access-date=17 November 2016}}</ref> There has been a particularly sharp rise in the number of prisoners above the age of 60.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jul/06/rolf-harris-prison-unit |title=Rolf Harris leaves behind gilded lifestyle for vulnerable prison unit |first=Jamie |last=Doward |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=10 November 2015|date=2014-07-06 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2019-10-22 |title=Ageing prison population 'sees officers working as carers' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-50082036 |access-date=2024-11-08 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> The head of the Prison Governors' Association suggested in 2017 that prison sentences of less than a year should be replaced with alternative punishments.<ref name="bbc10/10/2017">{{Cite news |date=2017-10-10 |title=Release short-term inmates from 'bursting' jails, say governors |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41561659 |access-date=2024-11-08 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> Another issue is the age of several prisons. A 2015 announcement from the government agreed that old prisons are more expensive to run and often unsuitable in design, such as having "dark corners which too often facilitate violence and drug-taking."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prison-building-revolution-announced-by-chancellor-and-justice-secretary|title=Prison building revolution announced by Chancellor and Justice Secretary|publisher=Government of the United Kingdom}}</ref>

In July 2018, the Government announced "a £30 million investment including £16 million to improve conditions for prisoners and staff and £7 million on new security measures, including airport-security style scanners, improved searching techniques and phone-blocking technology".<ref name="gov.uk">{{Cite web |title=Prison officer safety equipment rolled out |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prison-officer-safety-equipment-rolled-out |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}</ref>

In [[The Lammy Review]], a report commissioned by the Conservative government and led by [[David Lammy]] MP, it was found that whilst adult prison populations are 24% BAME individuals, only 6% of prison staff were from Black and Minority Ethnic communities. This was one of the significant factors listed as the cause for mis-trust between BAME prisoners and prison staff which then impacts the percentage of black and minority ethnic prisoners that have access to rehabilitation programmes in prison and therefore, increase their chances of re-offending after leaving prison.<ref>{{Cite web|date=September 2017|title=The Lammy Review|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/643001/lammy-review-final-report.pdf|publisher=Government of the United Kingdom (His Majesty's Government)}}</ref>

In 2019, data showed that male prisoners in the UK are 3.7 times more likely to die by [[suicide]] than the UK general public.<ref>{{cite web  |date= 25 July 2019 |title= Male prisoners are 3.7 times more likely to die from suicide than the public |url= https://www.ons.gov.uk/news/news/maleprisonersare37timesmorelikelytodiefromsuicidethanthepublic |website= ons.gov.uk |publisher= Office for National Statistics |access-date= 22 March 2025}}</ref>

==Prison officers==
===Recent development===
Historically, uniformed prison staff were under the supervision of a small number of very senior and experienced officers who held one of three chief officer ranks. Below these were the ranks of principal officer (rank badge{{snd}}two [[Bath star]]s) and senior officer (rank badge{{snd}}single Bath star). However, a reorganisation in the 1980s, termed "A Fresh Start", saw these chief officer ranks abolished, and their role taken by junior grade [[prison governor]]s.

From 2000 onwards, as part of a process to increase accountability within the prison service, all operational officers have been assigned a three-digit unique identification number, worn on all items of uniform (typically as an embroidered [[epaulette]]) along with the two-digit LIDS identification code of the specific prison or institution. From 2010 onwards, attempts were made to replace the principal officer rank with non-uniformed junior managers (developing prison service managers – DPSM), although this process was neither entirely successful nor fully implemented. Further restructuring in 2013, known as "Fair & Sustainable", saw the remaining historic ranks and rank insignia phased out in favour of a new structure, and simple stripes on uniform epaulettes to indicate grades.

===Uniforms===
Prison officers wear a white shirt and black tie, black trousers, black boots, black 'Nato' jumper or black soft shell fleece-jacket (or both).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://prisonandprobationjobs.gov.uk/prison-officer/life-as-a-prison-officer/|title = Life as a prison officer &#124; HM Prison & Probation Service}}</ref>

Prison officers working in the Juvenile or Immigration Detention estate wear a 'soft uniform' consisting of a polo shirt opposed to white shirt with black tie.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Prison Officers Uniforms Case Study {{!}} Workwear Suppliers|url=https://www.wmsugden.co.uk/case-studies/case-study-her-majestys-prison-service/|access-date=2021-04-20|website=Sugdens {{!}} Corporate Clothing, Uniforms and Workwear|language=en-GB}}</ref>

For formal occasions, a dark tunic with whistle on a chain is worn with a tie and peaked cap for men and bowler cap and open collar for women. Black gloves and shoes are worn, as are any medals/ribbons that have been awarded.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://image.jimcdn.com/app/cms/image/transf/dimension=420x1024:format=jpg/path/s19c3ceecf7274a06/image/i63c68878f1358346/version/1444918502/image.jpg |title=Archived copy |access-date=19 November 2018 |archive-date=19 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119173546/https://image.jimcdn.com/app/cms/image/transf/dimension=420x1024:format=jpg/path/s19c3ceecf7274a06/image/i63c68878f1358346/version/1444918502/image.jpg |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://image.jimcdn.com/app/cms/image/transf/dimension=460x1024:format=jpg/path/s19c3ceecf7274a06/image/i4c81f4fb5022e987/version/1448211233/image.jpg |title=Archived copy |access-date=19 November 2018 |archive-date=19 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119173544/https://image.jimcdn.com/app/cms/image/transf/dimension=460x1024:format=jpg/path/s19c3ceecf7274a06/image/i4c81f4fb5022e987/version/1448211233/image.jpg |url-status=dead }}</ref> Rank is worn on epaulettes and on the shoulders of uniforms.

===Powers and structure===
Public sector prison officers (historically known as warders), under the [[Prison Act 1952]], have "all the powers, authority, protection and privileges of a [[constable]]" whilst acting as such.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo6and1Eliz2/15-16/52/section/8 |title=Prison Act 1952 (Section 8) |publisher=Government of the United Kingdom |year=2015 |access-date=10 November 2015}}</ref>

Under the [[Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018]] it is an offence to assault (amongst others) a prison officer and is punishable by up to twelve months in prison, as well as a fine. Murder of a prison officer who was acting in the execution of their duty at the time can result in a [[Life imprisonment in England and Wales|whole life order]] being imposed.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/778/contents/made| title = The Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 (Commencement No. 1, Saving and Transitional Provisions) Order 2015}}</ref>

Although the system is flexible in operation, most prison officers work in small teams, either assigned to a specific duty, or providing one shift of staff for the supervision of a particular [[Wing (building)|wing]] within a prison.

Each such team is, in many instances, led by a supervising officer.

An overall manager of the wing has the title of custodial manager. They have direct management of the wing and the line management of the officers and supervising officers.

===Equipment===
Most prison officers, when working on the landings, carry:

* baton – usually an [[Expandable baton|Monadnock AutoLock]] 21” in length, for self-defence<ref name="quarterly.blog.gov.uk">{{cite web |last1=Adam |first1=Mark |title=From Asda to Belmarsh – how government is attracting the best prison officers |url=https://quarterly.blog.gov.uk/2018/03/28/from-asda-to-belmarsh-how-government-is-attracting-the-best-prison-officers/ |website=Gov.uk |access-date=31 August 2022 |date=28 March 2018}}</ref>
* radio – for communication between officers and the control room<ref name="quarterly.blog.gov.uk"/>
* keys – worn on a long key-chain
* body cameras – worn on the chest
* rigid-bar handcuff – TCH 842 like the [[Hiatt speedcuffs]] type are being phased in as part of general issue kit
* [[PAVA spray]] – see below.

In 2018, it was reported by the GOV UK<ref>[https://prisonjobs.blog.gov.uk/2018/10/09/introducing-the-use-of-pava-spray-in-prisons/ GOV UK]</ref> website that prison officers would start to be equipped with [[PAVA spray|PAVA incapacitating spray]]:<ref name="prisonjobs.blog.gov.uk">{{Cite web|url=https://prisonjobs.blog.gov.uk/2018/10/09/introducing-the-use-of-pava-spray-in-prisons/|title = Introducing the use of PAVA spray in prisons - Working in the Prison and Probation Service| date=9 October 2018 }}</ref>

{{Blockquote
|"HMPPS are rolling out PAVA incapacitant sprays to all male category A-D prisons to help keep our prison officers safe and better maintain control when difficult situations arise."}}

The government said that this would be "fully rolled out by April 2019"<ref name="prisonjobs.blog.gov.uk"/> and that "the decision follows a successful trial by HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) at 4 prisons".<ref name="gov.uk"/> The four prisons involved in the trial were HMPs Hull, Preston, Risley and Wealstun.<ref name="gov.uk"/>

In 2023, the government reported that now all HM Prison officers "have access to" body worn video cameras.<ref>{{cite web |last1=MoJ |first1=MoJ |title=Press release Body-worn video cameras for every prison officer to boost prison safety |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/body-worn-video-cameras-for-every-prison-officer-to-boost-prison-safety |website=gov.uk |access-date=13 June 2023}}</ref>

===Rank insignia===
{{UK Prison Service rank insignia}}

===Location prefixes===
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
* AY: [[HM Prison Aylesbury|HMP Aylesbury]]
* WK: [[HM Prison Wakefield|HMP Wakefield]]
* BF: [[HM Prison Bedford|HMP Bedford]]
* BA: [[HM Prison Belmarsh|HMP Belmarsh]]
* BL: [[HM Prison Bristol|HMP Bristol]]
* BN: [[HM Prison Bullingdon|HMP Bullingdon]]
* BM: [[HM Prison Birmingham|HMP Birmingham]]
* BS: [[HM Prison Brinsford|HMP Brinsford]]
* BW: [[HM Prison Berwyn|HMP Berwyn]]
* BX: [[HM Prison Brixton|HMP Brixton]]
* CD: [[HM Prison Chelmsford|HMP/YOI Chelmsford]]
* CF: [[HM Prison Cardiff|HMP Cardiff]]
* CL: [[HM Prison Coldingley|HMP Coldingley]]
* CW: [[HM Prison Channings Wood|HMP Channings Wood]]
* DM: [[HM Prison Durham|HMP Durham]]
* DT: [[HM Prison Deerbolt|HMP Deerbolt]]
* DW: [[HM Prison Downview|HMP 
Downview]]
* DN: [[HM Prison Doncaster|HMP Doncaster]]
* EE: [[HM Prison Erlestoke|HMP Erlestoke]]
* EW: [[HM Prison Eastwood Park |HMP Eastwood Park]]
* EY: [[HM Prison Elmley|HMP Elmley]]
* EX: [[HM Prison Exeter|HMP Exeter]]
* FH: [[HM Prison Foston Hall|HMP Foston Hall]]
* FK: [[HM Prison Frankland|HMP Frankland]]
* FM: [[HM Prison Feltham|HMP/YOI Feltham]]
* FN: [[HM Prison Full Sutton|HMP Full Sutton]]
* FS: [[HM Prison Featherstone|HMP Featherstone]]
* FD: [[HM Prison Ford|HMP Ford]]
* GH: [[HM Prison Garth|HMP Garth]]
* HV: [[HM Prison Haverigg|HMP Haverigg]]
* HC: [[HM Prison Huntercombe|HMP Huntercombe]]
* HE: [[HM Prison Hewell|HMP Hewell]]
* HH: [[HM Prison Holme House|HMP Holme House]]
* HL: [[HM Prison Hull|HMP Hull]]
* HM: [[HM Prison Humber|HMP Humber]]
* HO: [[HM Prison High Down|HMP High Down]]
* HP: [[Highpoint Prison (disambiguation)|HMP Highpoint]]
* IS: [[HM Prison Isis|HMP/YOI Isis]]
* KV: [[HM Prison Kirklevington Grange|HMP Kirklevington Grange]]
* LE: [[HM Prison Leeds|HMP Leeds]]
* LF: [[HM Prison Lancaster Farms|HMP Lancaster Farms]]
* LI: [[HM Prison Lincoln|HMP Lincoln]]
* LH: [[HM Prison Lindholme|HMP Lindholme]]
* LL: [[HM Prison Long Lartin|HMP Long Lartin]]
* LP: [[HM Prison Liverpool|HMP Liverpool]]
* LW: [[HM Prison Lewes|HMP Lewes]]
* MD: [[HM Prison Moorland|HMP Moorland]]
* MR: [[HM Prison Manchester|HMP Manchester]]
* MH: [[HM Prison Morton Hall|HMP Morton Hall]]
* MT: [[HM Prison The Mount|HMP The Mount]]
* NM: [[HM Prison Nottingham|HMP Nottingham]]
* ON [[HMP Onley]]
* PD: [[HM Prison Portland|HMP Portland]]
* PV: [[HM Prison Pentonville|HMP Pentonville]]
* PN: [[HM Prison Preston|HMP Preston]]
* RS: [[HM Prison Risley|HMP Risley]]
* SF: [[HM Prison Stafford|HMP Stafford]]
* SK: [[HM Prison Stocken|HMP Stocken]]
* ST: [[HM Prison Styal|HMP Styal]]
* SW: [[HM Prison Swansea|HMP Swansea]]
* TS: [[HM Prison Thameside|HMP Thameside]]
* UK: [[HM Prison Usk|HMP Usk]] and [[HM Prison Prescoed|Prescoed]]
* WD: [[HM Prison Wakefield|HMP Wakefield]]
* WE: [[HM Prison Wealstun|HMP Wealstun]]
* WL: [[HM Prison Wayland|HMP Wayland]]
* WM: [[HM Prison Whitemoor|HMP Whitemoor]]
* WC: [[HM Prison Winchester|HMP Winchester]]
* WS: [[HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs|HMP Wormwood Scrubs]]
* WW: [[HM Prison Wandsworth|HMP Wandsworth]]
}}

===Specialist roles===
In addition to uniformed officers carrying out security and custodial roles, a number of specialist functions exist within every prison. Some are assigned to uniformed specialist officers, while others are carried out by non-uniformed support staff.

Before the "Fresh Start" initiative there were more uniformed specialist officer roles, including dog handlers, works officers, hospital officers, catering officers, physical education officers, and officer instructors. Today the uniformed specialist officer roles include dog handlers (DH), works officers (W), and healthcare officers (H) and physical exercise instructors (PEI) who are the successors of the former hospital officers. The roles of the former catering officers, PE officers, and officer instructors are today taken by non-uniformed caterers, PE instructors, and educational/vocational instructors.<ref name="working">{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-prison-service/about/recruitment#catering-building-and-allied-trades|title=Working for HMPS|publisher=UK Government|access-date=31 December 2015}}</ref> Other key non-uniformed roles within the staff of a prison include chaplains, psychologists, and administrators.<ref name="working"/>

==Private prisons==
Privately managed prisons were introduced in the 1990s. Currently, there are 15 prisons in the UK run by third parties:<ref>{{Cite web|last=HMPS|title=Contracted-out prisons|url=https://www.justice.gov.uk/about/hmps/contracted-out|access-date=2021-04-20|website=www.justice.gov.uk}}</ref> [[HM Prison Altcourse|HMP Altcourse]], [[HM Prison Ashfield|HMP Ashfield]], [[HM Prison Bronzefield|HMP Bronzefield]], [[HM Prison Doncaster|HMP Doncaster]], [[HM Prison Dovegate|HMP Dovegate]], [[Five Wells Prison]], [[HM Prison Forest Bank|HMP Forest Bank]], [[HM Prison Lowdham Grange|HMP Lowdham Grange]], [[HM Prison Oakwood|HMP Oakwood]], [[HM Prison Parc|HMP Parc]], [[HM Prison Peterborough|HMP Peterborough]], [[HM Prison Rye Hill|HMP Rye Hill]], [[HM Prison Thameside|HMP Thameside]] and [[HM Prison Northumberland|HMP Northumberland]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.hmpnorthumberland.co.uk/home.html | title=Home }}</ref> These are run by three third party contractor companies: [[G4S]], [[Serco]] and [[Sodexo Justice Services|Sodexo]].

==Ban on industrial action==
Questions were raised about the status of the [[POA (trade union)|POA]] (Prison Officers' Association) in the 1990s. In 1994, a legal decision determined that it was illegal to induce prison officers to take industrial action – a law which had applied to police officers since 1919 – meaning that the POA could not call strike action amongst its members. New labour legislation introduced by the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] government in 1992 laid down that the POA could no longer be a trade union. This was reversed in the [[Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994]], but prison officers were still denied the right to take industrial action. This right was restored in March 2005 to prison officers in the public sector in [[England]], [[Wales]] and [[Scotland]],{{efn|The right was restored by repealing the relevant prohibitions contained in the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.This was done using a statutory instrument created under the [[Regulatory Reform Act 2001]], specifically The Regulatory Reform (Prison Officers) (Industrial Action) Order 2005.<ref>{{Cite legislation UK |type=si |year=2005 |number=908 |si=The Regulatory Reform (Prison Officers) (Industrial Action) Order 2005 |article= |date=21 March 2005|accessdate=24 August 2023}}</ref>}} but not in [[Northern Ireland]] or to prison custody officers in the private sector.

On 29 August 2007, the POA started a 24-hour walkout of prisons, picketing establishments asking prison officers not to attend work for their shift. This was the first ever national strike action taken by the POA. The POA reported that 90% of its members (27,000) went on strike that day.

In January 2008, the [[Home Secretary]] announced that the government was to introduce legislation to remove the right for prison officers in [[England and Wales]] to take [[strike action]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7175503.stm |date=7 January 2008 |title=Ministers seek prison strike ban |work=BBC News|access-date=10 November 2015}}</ref> This legislation was enacted as section 138 of the [[Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008]].<ref>{{Cite legislation UK |type=act |year=2008 |chapter=4 |act=Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 |section=138 |date=8 May 2008|accessdate=24 August 2023}}
</ref>{{efn|Section 138 also contains a provision, subsection 5, reinstating the ban on industrial action by prison officers in Scotland. However, this provision has, as of August 2023, yet to be [[Coming into force|commenced]].}} In November 2016, the [[High Court of Justice|High Court]] approved a government request to stop industrial action taking place.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/nov/15/uk-prison-officers-stage-protest-over-health-and-safety-fears |date=15 November 2016 |title=High court orders prison officers to end protest and go back to work |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=24 November 2016|last1=Travis |first1=Alan}}</ref> In July 2017 the government won a High Court bid to obtain a permanent ban on industrial action by prison officers.<ref>{{cite news|last=McGuinness|first=Alan|url=http://news.sky.com/story/government-wins-court-bid-to-ban-prison-officer-strikes-10953690|title=Government wins High Court bid to ban prison officer strikes|work=Sky News|date= 19 July 2017|access-date=24 August 2023}}</ref>

==Independent Monitoring Board==
Every prison and immigration removal centre has an [[Independent Monitoring Board]] (IMB), formerly known as a ''Board of Visitors''. Members of the IMB, who are volunteers, are appointed by the Home Secretary and act as 'watchdogs' for both the Minister of Prisons and the general public, to ensure that proper standards of care and decency are maintained.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.imb.org.uk/ |title=Independent Monitoring Boards |work=imb.org.uk |year=2015 |access-date=10 November 2015}}</ref> An analysis of the reporting of IMBs found that while there may be some problems with their training and undertaking of duties, their monitoring and surveillance of the detention estate can be more than symbolic and may further the humane and just treatment of the state's most vulnerable citizens.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Roffee|first=James A.|date=2017-02-01|title=Accountability and Oversight of State Functions|journal=SAGE Open|volume=7|issue=1|pages=215824401769079|doi=10.1177/2158244017690792|doi-access=free|hdl=1959.3/444560|hdl-access=free}}</ref>

==HMPS in the National Offender Management Service==
On 6 January 2004, then Home Secretary [[David Blunkett]] announced that the Prison Service, together with the [[National Probation Service]], was to be integrated into a new [[National Offender Management Service]]. The Service, Blunkett said, will be "a new body to provide end-to-end management of all offenders".

On 1 April 2008, NOMS was reorganised as part of a shake-up in the Ministry of Justice. The headquarters and regional structures of NOMS and HMPS were merged into a single HQ structure with Phil Wheatly as Director General of NOMS. This brings HMPS and the [[National Probation Service]] under a single headquarters structure for the first time ever.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/noms-agency-framework.htm |title=National Offender Management Service |publisher=Government of the United Kingdom |access-date=10 November 2015}}</ref>

On 1 June 2011, NOMS was merged with the wider MoJ (HMCTS etc.) to form one organisation. Although HMCTS and NOMS are working under different terms and conditions, they are now managed together and HR is dealt with by one Shared Service centre. A review of terms and conditions for all MoJ staff, including NOMS, is currently in progress with view to bringing all staff terms and conditions across NOMS and HMCTS in line.

==See also==
{{Portal|England|Wales}}
His Majesty's prison service collection is held at the [[Galleries of Justice Museum]] in Nottingham.
{{columns-list|colwidth=25em|
* [[Centre for Crime and Justice Studies]]
* [[His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons]]
* [[His Majesty's Young Offender Institution]]
* [[HM Prison]]
* [[Howard League for Penal Reform]]
* [[Inquest (charity)]]
* [[List of United Kingdom prisons]]
* [[Northern Ireland Prison Service]]
* [[OASys]]
* [[Prison Advice and Care Trust]]
* [[Prison categories (UK)|Prison categories in the United Kingdom]]
* [[Prison Reform Trust]]
* [[Prisoners' Advice Service]]
* [[Scottish Prison Service]]
* [[Temporary licence]]
* [[United Kingdom prison population]]
* [[Young offender]]
}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{Cite book| last1 = Morris| first1 = Norval| last2 = Rothman| first2 = David J.| title = The Oxford History of the Prison: The Practice of Punishment in Western Society| publisher = Oxford University Press| isbn = 978-0-19-506153-6| date = 1995|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=xTkFAQAAIAAJ}}
* {{Cite book| publisher = Routledge| last = Fox| first = Lionel W.| title = The English Prison and Borstal Systems| location = London| date = 1952| doi = 10.4324/9781315007854| isbn = 9781136266386|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Bl6Tk5ysFQwC}}

==Further reading==
* [https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/oct/26/suicides-self-harm-statistics-england-and-wales-prisons Prison suicides in England and Wales rise by nearly a quarter]. The Guardian. Published 26 October 2023.

==External links==
* {{Official website}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040115043812/http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/n_story.asp?item_id=756 Press release from Home Office about re-organisation]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160106115756/http://www.higherlearningatwork.org/portfolio/from-skills-for-life-to-higher-learning Prison Officer learning program]

{{UK home nations law enforcement agencies (non-police)}}
{{Ministry of Justice (United Kingdom)}}
{{Prisons in Europe}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Law enforcement agencies of England and Wales]]
[[Category:Penal system in England| ]]
[[Category:Prison and correctional agencies]]
[[Category:Penal system in Wales| ]]