New freedom for governors to set prison perks

Prison governors will be given greater freedom to reward well-behaved inmates with perks such as access to in-cell televisions and video games, increased gym time or extra visits from family.

The plans aim to incentivise prisoners to stay clear of drugs and other banned items, show commitment to education and work programmes and contribute positively to prison life.

At the same time, those who flout the rules will be assigned to the most basic regimes.

Ministers want jail leaders to have more flexibility in deciding privileges and punishments according to the specific population and environment of their establishment.

For instance, a prison with a good gym or a wing with a kitchen area could place greater emphasis on its particular facilities.

On Monday, the Government launched a consultation on the proposed new “incentives and earned privileges” (IEP) policy for jails in England and Wales.

Prisons Minister Rory Stewart said: “Prisons must be places of safety, decency and purposeful activity to turn around the lives of those in custody.

“This new framework will give governors the tools to set clear behavioural standards for offenders under their watch, and the consequences should these not be met.”

There are currently four privilege levels: basic, entry, standard and enhanced.

Under the new system, the entry level category will be scrapped after complaints it is bureaucratic and penalises new inmates, setting up an adversarial relationship with staff from the outset.

The revised policy sets out the types of positive behaviour that Governors may wish to reinforce when setting their approach

They include participation in work or education, achieving targets on sentence plans, developing respectful relationships with staff and peers, demonstrating “substance free living” and only having items that prisoners are allowed access to.

Inmates on higher levels of the IEP scheme could benefit from additional or longer visits, more time out of their cells to take part in recreational activities and greater access to exercise and “well-being” facilities.

Governors could choose to use in-cell televisions as a privilege for all prisoners on standard level or above, while they also have the authority to remove TV sets if they appear to be having an “adverse impact”. Paid-for channels are not allowed.

Access to games consoles which are owned by inmates can also be included in incentives schemes, provided they cannot connect to the internet.

The Ministry of Justice document says: “At the discretion of the Governor, and if the risk is deemed manageable, prisoners may retain consoles with disabled internet connectivity that were held in possession or which had been ordered prior to September 2014.

“The simple rule is that, otherwise, no games consoles with Wi-Fi capability (whether or not that connectivity has subsequently been disabled) are to be allowed in possession.”

Conjugal visits are not allowed at any privilege level, the policy paper adds.