By Milton Tella
Prison regimes will change so that convicted prisoners will work a longer day.
Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said: “It is not right that some prisoners appear to be spending hours languishing in their cells and watching daytime television while the rest of the country goes out to work.
“For too long, there has been an expectation that privileges are an automatic right, given simply as a reward for staying out of trouble. This cannot continue. Prisoners need to earn privileges, not simply through the avoidance of bad behaviour but also by working, taking part in education or accepting the opportunities to rehabilitate themselves.
“We have reviewed the scheme fully, and I believe it is now something the public can have confidence in. Only by tackling bad behaviour and taking part in education or work programmes as well as addressing any alcohol or drug issues can we cut reoffending.”
Prisons Minister Jeremy Wright said: “This is a big change for the prison system. Prisoners will now have to actively contribute to their own rehabilitation, help others and continue to behave well if they are to earn privileges above the basic level.
“Convicted prisoners will have a longer working day and will not be allowed to watch television when they should be engaged in work or other purposeful activity. They will have to earn the right to wear their own clothes and spend money brought into the prison for them.
“In short, prisoners who refuse to work or engage in their own rehab will not earn privileges until they do. The IEP system should support all this Government is seeking to achieve in improving rehabilitation and reducing reoffending.”
The Secretary of State for Justice is announcing significant changes to the Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) scheme, which operates in all prisons.
This follows a review of the scheme, ordered by Minsters last year, to reassure the public that privileges gained in prison were earned through hard work and good behaviour.
Under the new policy, the absence of bad behaviour will not be enough to earn privileges, prisoners must actively work towards their own rehabilitation and help other prisoners.
The major changes are:
• Movement up the levels dependent on positive engagement, not the absence of bad behaviour
• A new IEP level, Entry, for all prisoners in their first two weeks of sentence where privileges, including access to private cash, will be restricted (current levels are basic, standard and enhanced)
• All convicted adult male prisoners required to wear prison uniform whilst on Entry level
• Offenders returning to prison for licence breaches automatically will be placed on Entry level for the first two weeks
• At the end of the entry level period, prisoners who do not co-operate with the regime or engage in rehabilitation will drop to basic level and stay there until they do. Those who do will move up to standard
• Prison regimes will change so that convicted prisoners will work a longer day.
• Prisoners should not be allowed to watch television when they should be working or engaging in purposeful activity
• Gym access beyond the statutory entitlement will be dependent on active engagement with rehabilitation
• We will change Prison Rules to increase our power to recover money from prisoners to pay for damage to prison property
• Subscription channels removed from private prisons
• A national standardised list of activities and items available for each level from which governors may choose what is appropriate for their prison
• Certificate 18 DVDs banned from prisons
• Bad behaviour will lead to a review of IEP status with the presumption of a downgrade
The scheme will apply to prisoners in both public and private prisons and will not be retrospective.
It will be implemented over the next six months, during which time the finer details will be worked through.
