Prison Going in. This factsheet covers:

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1 Prison Going in Going into prison can be a very daunting time, being away from friends and family and not knowing what to expect. It is also a difficult time for your carers, relatives or friends who may be supporting you in prison. There are sources of help and support for you and your loved ones. This factsheet looks at the types of prisons in England and Wales, and what happens when you first go in. There are different types of prisons and prisoners, under a category system. This is based on risk and behaviour. There are different prisons for men and women. Most prisons are for men. There are fewer prisons for women. There are also prisons and other facilities for younger people. When you first arrive in prison, prison reception staff will assess you. This is an important time for you to make staff aware of any health problems you have and medication you are taking. This factsheet covers: 1. What are the different categories of prison and prisoner? 2. What are the different types of prisoner? 3. What happens when I first arrive in prison? 4. What else do I need to know when I arrive? 5. Friends and family of prisoners 1

2 1. What are the different categories of prison and prisoner? There are four categories of prison and prisoner High Security, B, C and D. These have different security levels. Which type of prison you are in will depend on how serious your offence was and the level of risk you may pose to the public. High Security prisons and prisoners The Ministry of Justice feel you present the highest risk to others. There is maximum security and it should be impossible to escape from a High Security prison. There are eight High Security Prisons (Belmarsh, Frankland, Full Sutton, Long Lartin, Manchester, Wakefield, Whitemoor and Woodhill). As there are many fewer Category A prisons compared to the lower categories, you could be placed far away from loved ones. Category B prisons and prisoners The Ministry of Justice feel you are a high risk to other people. Although you do not require maximum security, it should still be very difficult to escape. Category C prisons and prisoners You are unlikely to try to escape, and are a lower risk to the public than High Security or Category B prisoners. However, you are not trusted to be in open conditions. Category D prisons and prisoners You are a low risk to others. You may have served a long prison sentence and be due for release soon. You are trusted to be in an open prison. These are less intimidating and have less obvious forms of security like less fencing or high walls. You may be allowed Release on Temporary Licence (RoTL). This allows you to work in the community, access education or training and perhaps go on home leave to help you settle back into the community once you are fully released. There are fewer Category D prisons compared to other categories. Prisons include Ford, Leyhill, Moorland Open and Springhill. Reviewing your category Prisons will review your category to see if it should change. If you are well behaved, the prison could reduce your category. It could also increase your category, perhaps if your level of risk increases or you try to escape. This could mean you get transferred to a higher category prison. 2

3 Prison Privileges You get different levels of privileges or benefits depending on your behaviour. There are three levels of privileges basic, standard and enhanced. All prisoners enter prison at standard level. You then need to be well behaved and prove yourself to staff to move up to enhanced level. If you break rules or are badly behaved, you drop down to basic level. Each level gives you certain rights and activities. For example, if you are on basic level you are not allowed a TV in your room and have to eat meals in your room. If you are on enhanced level you might be allowed more time in the gym, more time out of your room and more visits from friends or family. 2. What are the different types of prisoner? There are two types of prisoners remand or sentenced. If you are on remand you have special rights and privileges compared to a sentenced prisoner. Remand prisoner You are a remand prisoner if you have not been found guilty (convicted) of an offence. You can also be on remand if you have been convicted and are waiting to be sentenced. The prison holds you until your next court appearance. Perhaps you are due to appear in court having been charged with an offence, or you are currently on trial for an offence or awaiting sentence. You will be held in prison and transported to court each day. You may need to be on remand because you cannot be in the community. Perhaps you do not have appropriate accommodation, may not attend court or could commit another offence whilst awaiting court. If you have not yet been found guilty of an offence, you have more privileges than someone who has. You are entitled to: 1 Top have more visits, vote, not have to share a cell with a convicted prisoner, wear your own clothes, as long as they are suitable, have your own books and magazines, have more cigarettes and tobacco, send and receive as many letters as you want. If you have been convicted and are waiting to be sentenced, you will not get the same special privileges. You will be generally be treated the same as other convicted prisoners. 3

4 If you spend time in prison on remand and are then sentenced, the judge will bear in mind how long you have been in prison when they decide your sentence. Sometimes a judge may decide your time in prison on remand is enough of a punishment for you. They may say you do not have to spend more time in prison. Sentenced prisoner You are a sentenced prisoner if you have been found guilty of an offence and are serving the sentence decided by the court. There are different types of sentenced prisoner determinate, indeterminate and lifers. Determinate sentence A determinate sentence is for a fixed length of time. If your sentence is for 12 months or more your local probation service will supervise you when you are released into the community. In the community, you may be under licence conditions, such as not seeing the victim of your crime or not going to certain addresses. You may have to work with mental health services. Indeterminate sentence This is a sentence with no fixed length of time. You may get this if the court thinks you are a particular risk to the public. You have no right to be released after a certain amount of time. The judge will set a minimum amount of time for you to stay in prison for. This is called your tariff. The parole board decides when you should be released after you have served your tariff. Life sentence Judges have to give you a life sentence for some offences, such as murder. A life sentence does not normally mean you have to spend the rest of your life in prison. The judge will say you have to spend a certain amount of time in prison before the parole board can release you. For example, a judge could issue a life sentence and say you have to serve at least 15 years before the parole board can consider you for release. The only exception is for people who have been given a whole life order. These people have to stay in prison for the rest of their lives. A life sentence means that probation services would monitor you for the rest of your life after you are released. This is called a life licence. You will often be treated slightly differently to other prisoners. Some prisons have specific lifer units where all life sentenced prisoners stay together. If you have a life sentence, you will need come to terms with your sentence and how long you may have to be in prison for. You will have to cope with being away from friends and family for such a long time and 4

5 consider how you are going to spend your time in prison. There are prison staff who support lifers and can answer any queries you have. Age and Gender There are specific prisons for men, women and young people. If you are under 21, a court can send you to a juvenile prison. There are juvenile prisons for people aged 15 to 18, and 18 to 21. They are similar to adult prisons but focus much more on education and training. You may hear them called Young Offender Institutes (YOIs). Some adult prisons will have a YOI attached to it. Women s prisons often have facilities specifically tailored for women, such as a mother and baby unit for women who give birth in prison. 3. What happens when I first arrive in prison? A prison van will take you from court to the prison reception. Prison staff will make sure you have everything you need and see if you need help with anything, such as healthcare. If you are a new prisoner, officers will strip search you to make sure you do not have anything that could cause injury, such as drugs or weapons. Property Staff will record what property you have on you, such as clothing and any valuables. You will be allowed to keep some of these items, but staff will put other items in storage and give them back to you when you are released. Medication If you have medication with you, you will not be allowed to take this into the prison with you. The prison staff will make a note of your medication and your health condition if you share this with them. They will give this information to the healthcare department, who will make sure you have a prescription for medication you need as soon as possible. The healthcare staff will decide if you should take medication by yourself. They may decide to supervise you. This depends on the type of medication and whether you understand your condition and medication. Healthcare Healthcare staff will speak to you to make sure you get the right healthcare in prison. They can make sure you have any medication you need and make an appointment with the prison dentist or doctor. Top If you have a mental illness, you may be able to stay on the Health Care Unit of the prison if there is one. A visiting psychiatrist can assess you. If the prison cannot give you the right care you need for your mental health, you could be transferred to hospital. 5

6 If you were getting care and support in the community, the local authority where the prison is should continue this care. Prison managers can contact your local authority for information about your care and support needs in the community. 2 If prison managers or healthcare providers think you might have care and support needs, they can ask the local authority to assess you. You can also ask for this yourself What else do I need to know when I arrive? Personal Officer Shortly after arriving at prison, you will meet your personal officer. You can go to them for information, advice or to talk about problems. If you are concerned about how you are feeling in prison, your personal officer can be a good person to speak to. If you are unsure who your personal officer is, check if it says on the door of your room, with your name and prison number. Or you could ask a member of staff. Prison Staff Top A prison officer does many things. They manage the security of the prison and keep an eye on how you and the other prisoners are behaving. They also check that vulnerable prisoners are ok. One of them may also be your personal officer. Prison officers should be able to explain how the prison works and help you with any problems you may have. The prison will also have staff to cook food, give education and training and chaplains to give religious and spiritual services. There will also be healthcare staff from the NHS. There may be offender managers from the probation services, resettlement staff to help with your return to the community on release and staff to help with applying for release from parole. Induction Wing Most prisons will have an induction wing. This is an area in the prison for new prisoners. There is usually an induction process that can run for a few days to a couple of weeks. You can see how the prison runs, what is expected of you and what activities there are for you to do. The prison will check your level of reading, writing and maths. You can get education and training in prison. Some prison departments will give you information to look through when you are shown to your room. If you have difficulties with reading, you could ask another prisoner or a member of staff to help you look through this information. 6

7 Accommodation Your accommodation may be known as wings or house blocks, which are usually separate from the main prison buildings. There may be different accommodation for specific prisoners. For example, wings for new prisoners, prisoners on remand, sentenced prisoners and one for lifers. Some prisons have a healthcare wing to care for those who are particularly unwell, similar to a hospital ward. If a prison accepts both adult prisoners and young offenders aged between years old, it will usually house these groups separately. On each house block or wing, there will be rooms or cells for you to sleep in. Sometimes there may be dormitories or you may need to share a cell with another inmate. There are shower and bathroom facilities, places to eat, activity areas with TVs or pool tables, public telephones and staff offices. 5. Families and friends of prisoners It can be a very daunting experience if you have a friend or relative in prison. It will affect people differently. Some people may be angry, upset or feel ashamed and worried. You can get information about organisations that can support you if your friend or relative is in prison in our Prison guide for friends and family. You can download a copy for free from Or you can call and ask us to send you a copy. Top Go to for specific information about: Top Prison - Planning for release Healthcare in prison Criminal Courts and Mental Health Complaints about prison Or call and ask us to send you a copy. Nacro This is a large ex-offender charity that also has a mental health department. Nacro provides a range of services across England and Wales: resettlement, youth projects, education and employment. You can look for local services on their website. 7

8 They produce information resources and have a Resettlement Plus Helpline. Telephone: (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm) Address: 46 Loman Street, London, SE1 0EH Website: helpline@nacro.org.uk You can look for local services on which you need to register for (free). POhWER Offers advocacy in some prisons. They cover prisons in the East of England, West Midlands and London. Telephone: Address: PO Box 14043, Birmingham, B6 9BL Website: pohwer@pohwer.net Prison Reform Trust This is a charity that has information for prisoners. Telephone: Offenders Family Helpline: Prisoners Friends and Family Helpline: Prisoners Helpline: (Monday 3.30pm pm, Tuesday & Thursday 3.30pm pm) Address: 15 Northburgh Street, London, EC1V 0JR Website: adviceandinformation@prisonreformtrust.org.uk SEAP SEAP offers advocacy in prisons. They cover prisons in the South West, South Central and South East England. You can find contact details for local offices on their website. Telephone: Address: 7th Floor, Cavendish House, Breeds Place, Hastings, East Sussex, TN34 3AA Website: info@seap.org.uk St Giles Trust Offers a range of support such as mentoring, help with benefits, housing, finding a job, maintaining ties with family, accessing services and support in appointments. Mostly London based. 8

9 Telephone: Peer Assist Helpline: Address: Camberwell Church Street, London, SE5 8JB Website: Unlock A charity led by reformed offenders. They provide information on many topics including how benefits and housing are affected by being in prison, banking, insurance and employment. Telephone: (Mon-Fri, 10am to 4pm) This is a very small team. They advise you go on the website and go through the questions there before you contact them. Text: Skype: unlockhelpline Address: Helpline, Unlock, Maidstone Community Support Centre, Marsham Street, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 1HH advice@unlock.org.uk Online: Complete our online form Website: 1 HM Prison Service. Prison Service Order 4600 Unconvicted, Unsentenced and Civil Prisoners (2003). Available at (accessed November 2015) at Annex B. 2 Department of Health. Care and Support Statutory Guidance Issued under the Care Act London: Department of Health; Oct 2014, at para As note 2, at para

10 Rethink Mental Illness 2013 Last updated November 2015 Next update November 2017 Version 2 This factsheet is available in large print. Last updated 01/10/2010