Prisoner security categories in the United Kingdom
classification system for prisoners in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, prisoners are divided into four categories of security. Each adult is assigned to a category according to their crime, sentence, the risk of escape, and violent tendencies. The categories are designated with the letters A to D, with A being the highest level of security, and D the lowest.
There are three different prison services in the United Kingdom, and separate services for the three Crown Dependencies, i.e., the Channel Islands jointly and the Isle of Man. His Majesty's Prison Service manages prisons in England and Wales, and also serves as the National Offender Management Service for England and Wales. Prisons in Scotland are managed by the Scottish Prison Service and prisons in Northern Ireland are managed by the Northern Ireland Prison Service.
Prisoner categories in England and Wales
Prisons in England and Wales are classified based on the age, gender, and security needs of the prisoners they hold.
Male adult prisoners
Male adult prisoners (those aged 18 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 were to escape. The four categories are:
Category A, B and C prisons are called closed prisons, whereas category D prisons are called open prisons.
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This entry incorporates text from “Prisoner security categories in the United Kingdom” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.