All inmates will have heard of the prison’s categorization system, but many do not understand why they are placed in a security category or how their categorization was determined. Prisoners were categorized following a recommendation in the 1966 Mountbatten Report. Following the escape of spy George Blake from HMP Wormwood Scrubs in 1966, it was decided that an overhaul of the prison’s security system was needed.
Male inmates are now divided into one of four categories, with A being the highest and D being the lowest category. In 1987 it was decided that Category A prisoners should be further divided into three further categories: Standard Risk, High Risk and Exceptional Risk. Category A prisoners are screened by the Category A Screening Team (CART) and Committee at Prison Service Headquarters. Category B and C prisoners will have their category changed in their detention facility.
Category C
Category C prisons are training and resettlement prisons. These are the most common types of prisons. They give inmates the opportunity to develop their own skills so that after their release they can find work and settle into the community. Category C prisons are for “those who cannot be trusted in open conditions but are unlikely to attempt an escape”. Examples of category C prisons are HMP Birmingham and HMP Brixton.
Category D prisons are open prisons.
These have minimal security and allow prisons to spend a significant portion of their time outside prison walls to work, attend education, or rehabilitate. Inmates must go through a risk assessment process to qualify for open prisons. Placement in a category D prison is a privilege reserved for those prisoners who are presumed not to attempt an escape. If this is your first offense and it is a non-violent or drug-related offence, you may be transferred to a category D prison within one month of the start of your sentence. Examples of category D prisons are HMP Hatfield and HMP Spring Hill. The PSI suggests that prisoners should not be held in open conditions for more than two years.
We sat down with Donna to find out why she loves working for probation and the opportunities her role as case manager brings.
How did you come to Case Manager?
I joined the London Probation Service in 2006 as a case manager at Willesden Probation Office in Brent. At the time I was working for the Irish Passport and Visa Office and just wanted a change. I wanted something where I could progress. I saw the ad for Case Manager and thought, “That sounds very interesting”. So I applied and got the job! I worked as a case manager for about three more years.