Prison security categories in the United Kingdom

There are four prisoner security categories in the United Kingdom used to classify every adult prisoner for the purposes of assigning them to a prison. The categories are based upon the severity of the crime and the risk posed should the person escape.

Prisons in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

and Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

are managed by HM Prison Service. Scotland

Scottish Prison Service

The Scottish Prison Service is an executive agency of the Scottish Government tasked with managing prisons in Scotland...

, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland Prison Service

The Northern Ireland Prison Service is an executive agency of the Department of Justice, the headquarters of which are in Dundonald House in the Stormont Estate in Belfast....

, the Isle of Man

Isle of Man

The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...

and the Channel Islands

Channel Islands

The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...

have their own prison administrations.

Prisoner categories in England and Wales

Prisoners in England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...

are divided into several categories relating to the age, gender and security classification of the prisoners it holds.

Male adult prisoners

Male adult prisoners (those aged 21 or over) are given a security categorisation soon after they enter prison. These categories are based on a combination of the type of crime committed, the length of sentence, the likelihood of escape, and the danger to the public if they did escape. The four categories are:

Category A prisoners are those whose escape would be highly dangerous to the public or national security
Category B prisoners are those who do not require maximum security, but for whom escape needs to be made very difficult
Category C prisoners are those who cannot be trusted in open conditions but who are unlikely to try to escape
Category D prisoners are those who can be reasonably trusted not to try to escape, and are given the privilege of an open prison. Prisoners at 'D Cat' (as it is commonly known) prisons, are, subject to approval, given ROTL (Release On Temporary Licence) to work in the community or to go on 'home leave' once they have passed their FLED (Full Licence Eligibility Dates), which is usually a quarter of the way through the sentence.

Category A, B and C prisons are called closed prisons, whilst category D prisons are called open prisons.

Category A prisoners are further divided into Standard Risk, High Risk, and Exceptional Risk, based on their likelihood of escaping.

Men on remand are usually held in Category B conditions. Serious offenders are considered for "Provisional Category A" conditions.

Escape List Prisoners

Prisoners who have made active attempts to escape from custody are placed on the holding prison's Escape List. These prisoners (sometimes referred to as "E men" or "E List men") are required to wear distinctive, brightly coloured clothing when being moved both inside and outside of the prison and are handcuffed. In addition they are required to change cells frequently and to have their clothes and some of their personal property removed from their cell before being locked in for the night.

Female adult prisoners

Women are also classified into four categories. These categories are:

Restricted Status is similar to Category A for men.
Closed is for people who are not trusted to not attempt to escape.
Semi-open was introduced in 2001 and is for those who are unlikely to try to escape, though it appears to be being phased out as HMP Morton Hall
Morton Hall (HM Prison)
HM Prison Morton Hall is a women's semi-open prison, located in the village of Morton Hall in Lincolnshire, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...

and HMP Drake Hall
Drake Hall (HM Prison)
HM Prison Drake Hall is a women's closed prison, located near the village of Eccleshall in Staffordshire, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...

were re-roled to closed in March 2009.
Open is for those who can be trusted to stay within the prison.

Remand prisoners are normally held in closed prisons.

Young offenders and juveniles

When offenders under the age of 21 are sentenced to a custodial term they may be sent to one of four types of establishment:

Secure Training Centres (STCs) – privately run, education-focused centres for offenders up to the age of 17
Local Authority Secure Children’s Homes (LASCHs) – run by social services and focused on attending to the physical, emotional and behavioural needs of vulnerable young people
Juvenile Prisons - run by the prison service, these prisons accommodate 15–18 year olds and have lower ratios of staff to young people than STCs and LASCHs
Young Offender Institutions
Her Majesty's Young Offender Institution
Her Majesty's Young Offenders Institution is a type of British prison intended for offenders aged between 18 and 20, although some prisons cater for younger offenders from ages 15 to 17, who are classed as juvenile offenders...

(YOIs) – run by the prison service, these institutes accommodate 18–21 year olds and have lower ratios of staff to young people than juvenile prisons

Prison categories in Scotland

Since 2002, in Scotland, prisoners have been assigned to one of three categories:

High Supervision: an individual for whom all activities and movements require to be authorised, supervised and monitored by prison staff.
Medium Supervision: an individual for whom activities and movements are subject to locally specified limited supervision and restrictions.
Low Supervision: an individual for whom activities and movements, specified locally, are subject to minimum supervision and restrictions. Low Supervision prisoners may be entitled to release on temporary licence and unsupervised activities in the community.

External links

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