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 B
These prisons are also known as local or training prisons. Local prisons house prisoners picked up directly from area courts, while training prisons are for long-term, maximum-security prisoners. HMP Wormwood Scrubs is a category B prison, as is HMP Pentonville. All inmates not assigned to category A begin their prison life as category B inmates. They are defined in the PSI as prisons for inmates “for whom escape must be very difficult”. However, breakouts from category B prisons, such as B.
the escape of two inmates from HMP Pentonville in 2017. Prisoners serving a sentence of less than two years are allowed to remain in a Category B prison for their entire sentence.
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.
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.