The Prisons Handbook 2025
THE PRISONS HANDBOOK 2025.
The Definitive 1,400-page Annual Guide to the Prison System of England and Wales – now in its 26th annual edition
ISBN 978-1-7396323-4-2
Status: PUBLISHED 20 OCTOBER 2024
“The Prisons Handbook continues to be essential reading, providing a comprehensive understanding of the prison and justice systems, and rightly sits in every prison library” (taken from the Foreword to The Prisons Handbook 2025 by…)
What’s in the 2025 Edition?
Status: Published: 20 October 2024.
ISBN 978-1-7396323-4-2
Prison Privatisation Timeline 1970-2025, 6
Preface: 2025, 7
Summary – September 2024, 7
Types of prison and YOIs, 14
Adult male prisons – types, 7
• Training:
• Reception
• Open
• High Security
Adult female prisons, 7
Female Strategy Delivery Plan 2022-2025, 7
Prisons for children and young adults, 7
Private sector prisons, 8
Timeline: Prison Privatisation 1970-2025, 8
Which prisons are operated by the private sector?, 8
Age of the prison estate, 8
Construction: Details of 38 New Prisons, House Blocks, Refurbishments and RDCs, 8
• New Prisons, 9
• Houseblocks, 9
• Refurbishments, 9
• Rapid Deployment Cells, 9
• Women’s Estate, 9
• Category D, 9
Ministerial Statements, 9
• 18th July 2024: Prison Capacity – SDS40, 9
• 5th September 2024: Imprisonment for Public Protection: Changes to Licence, 10
Accommodation Standards, 11
Measuring accommodation standards, 11
• Sanitation, 12
• Lighting, 12
• Heating, 12
• Ventilation, 12
• Fittings, 12
• Communication with an officer, 12
Prisons: Overview: By Name, Operator & Function, 14
The Prison Estate in England & Wales 2025, 15
Prisons by:
HMPPS Region
Operator
Predominant function
Cohort held
Designation
Contact Details
Probation Service Region
Resettlement Region
Area Executive Directors, 23
Map of Prison Service Establishments 2025, 25
Senior HMPPS Management: CEO, DG and Director structure, 28
Governing Governors/Directors, 29
Private Sector Prison Contractors, 32
Other UK Prison Addresses, 32
Mark Leech Biography, 41
Prisoner Location Service, 42
HMPPS Contact Details, 42
Ministry of Justice Press Office, 42
Foreword: Amy Rees, Director General & Chief Executive, HM Prison and Probation Service: ‘Basic Skills – Today’s Readers, Tomorrow’s Leaders?’, 42
Dedication, Erwin James Monahan, by Ian Katz, Chief Content Officer Channel 4, 44
OpEd, Sonya Ruparel, Chief Executive, Women in Prison: ‘How women are let down, overlooked and disproportionately punished.’, 45
Acknowledgements, 49
Introduction to the 2025 Edition, 49
MOJ Directory of Service Specifications, 51
Glossary of Terms, 52
SECTION 1: PRISONS
1.1 Prison Service Establishments in England and Wales 2025, 57-664
SECTION 2 – ADVICE
2.1 Early days in Custody, 665
2.2 Offending Behaviour Programmes, 696
2.3 Criminal Cases Review Commission, 698
2.4 Requests and Complaints, 702
2.5 Prisoner Communications, 712
2.6 Drugs and Alcohol in Prison, 728
2.7 The Prison Disciplinary System, 730
2.8 Who Can Help?, 742
2.9 Healthcare, 745
2.10 Religion, 751
2.11 Equality: Age, Gender, Disability & Race, 756
2.12 Social Security and Discharge Grants, 759
2.13 Release and Recall, 762
2.14 Indeterminate Sentences, 811
2.15 Women Prisoners, 823
2.16 Young Offenders (18-21 year olds), 830
2.17 Young People (15-17 year olds), 834
2.18 Foreign Nationals, 837
2.19 Disability in Prison,, 840
2.20 Education, Training & Skills, 843
2.21 Work and Pay, 846
2.22 Incentives, 853
2.23 Civil Partnerships & Marriage, 866
2.24 Elderly Prisoners, 870
2.25.1 Segregation Rule 45, 872
2.25.2 Close Supervision Centres, Rule 46, 888
2.25.3 Separation Centres, Rule 46, 892
2.26 Security Categorisation, 894
SECTION 3 – THE DIRECTORY
3.1 Government & Statutory Agencies, 907
SECTION 4 – LEGAL
4.1 Prisoners & The Law; an introduction, 913
4.1.1 Prisons Rules 1999: September 2024, 914
4.1.2 Parole Board Rules 2019: September 2024, 936
4.2 A-Z Subject Index: Access to Justice through to Zoonotic Infections, 949
4.3 Criminal Appeals, 1087
SECTION 5 – FORUM: Something to Say?
5.1 Ed Cornmell, Executive Director, Youth Custody Service: The New System of Secure Schools, 1143
5.2 Sir Bob Neill, former Chair of the House of Commons Justice Select Committee: Free the IPP Prisoners, 1145
5.3 Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons: Drugs & Disorder; Worrying Times for Prisons, 1146
5.4 Ian Fox, former Chief Probation Officer: Re-professionalising the Probation Service, 1148
5.5 Daniel Finkelstein, Joint Enterprise: The Case for Reform, 1148
5.6 Amy-Clare Martin, Journalist, London: The Probation Service: failing 97% of the time, 1150
5.7 Michael Segalov, The Young Offender system worked for me’, 1151
5.8 Rachel Sylvester, Chair, Crime and Justice Commission, London: ‘Lock ‘em up isn’t working – Our Prisons have to Change’ , 1154
5.9 Jonathan Ames, Legal Editor, The Times: Bursting Prisons: A Huge Obstacle to reducing Court Lists, 1156
5.10 Adrian Usher, The Prison and Probation Ombudsman for England and Wales: Change is Important, 1158
5.11 Tom Wheatley, President Prison Governors’ Association Governing a Prison Today, 1159
5.12 Russell Trent, Managing Director, Mitie Care & Custody: Reimagining Rehabilitation, 1161
SECTION 6 – REPORTS
6.1 Introduction to the Prisons Inspectorate, 1165
6.2.1 HMPPS Annual Report 2022/2023, 1167
6.2.2 Prison & Probation Ombudsman’s
Annual Report 2023/24, 1168
6.2.3 HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Annual
Report 2023/24, 1170
6.2.4 Parole Board Annual Report 2023/24, 1173
6.2.5 HM Chief Inspector of Probation Annual Youth Report 2023/24, 1174
SECTION 7 – ANNEXES
7.1 Parliamentary Questions 2023/24, 1177
7.2 Deaths in Prison Service Custody 2023/24, 1246
7.3 Policy Frameworks, PSIs, PSOs, 1249
7.4 Staff Awards & Prizes, 1274
SECTION 8 – PRISON STAFF 2024/2025
OFFICERS & GOVERNORS
8.1 Officers – Becoming a Prison Officer, 1279
8.2 Governors- Unlocked Grads (Final) Course, 1294
8.3 Promotion – from bottom to top, 1295
8.4 HMPPS Workforce Statistics: August 2024, 1296
8.5 HMPPS Annual Staff Equalities Report, 1305
8.6 Pay Scales 2024/2025, 1320
INDEX, 1337-1348
The Prisons Handbook 2025
The Definitive Annual Guide to the Prison System of England and Wales
Discount Buying Options
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An ABR is a publisher/book retailer who has been approved by the Ministry of Justice as satisfying their criteria in terms of security and chain of custody - ensuring that from printer, through publisher/retailer, to prison there is no opportunity for their books to be tampered with. As an ABR we have special procedures for sending books into prisons such that when the book arrives prison staff have already been alerted to expect its arrival and they can tell instantly that it has come directly from our securely held stock.
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International Sales
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There are three rates, Europe, World Zone 1 (WZ1) and World Zone 2 (WZ2). Each of these postage methods are fully tracked and signed for on delivery, and when you select the appropriate Shipping rate during the check out process the correct postage and packing rates is automatically inserted.
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