Poll: Should prisoners have to earn the right to watch television?
Male prisoners in England and Wales will have to work harder for privileges such as TVs in cells, the Government said today.
From November, under changes to the Incentives and Earned Privileges scheme, inmates must 'actively earn privileges' – 'a simple absence of bad behaviour will not be enough'.
Satellite and cable TV channels, currently available in some private prisons, will be banned altogether. Critics say it is better to do what is effective rather than what seems tough. But Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said that 'in the past, we've sent the wrong message'.
Other changes to the scheme will include, a longer working day for prisoners, a ban on 18 certificate films and extra gym time being dependent 'on active engagement with rehabilitation'.
There will also be restricted privileges, including access to private cash, for prisoners in the first two weeks of their sentence. They must also wear uniform at entry level
Prisoners will then be put on either basic or standard 'IEP level' depending on how they 'co-operate with the regime or engage in rehabilitation'. Those on basic level are no longer allowed TVs in cells.
The Ministry of Justice said there would also be a change to prison rules 'increasing our power to recover money from prisoners to pay for damage to prison property'.
The changes follow a review of the prison incentives scheme. Officials are still working on possible changes to the privilege scheme for women prisoners. Mr Grayling said: "I want a regime that sends the right messages – turn your life around and there'll be some incentives in prisons, but if you don't engage, if you behave badly, then you'll lose things."
When the new system is introduced, existing prisoners will not lose the privileges they already have unless their status is reviewed. But they will lose any cable or satellite TV in private prisons.
Prison Reform Trust director Juliet Lyon said it was 'perfectly reasonable' to remove subscription TV channels as well as to stop inmates, 'some of whom have committed violent crimes', from watching 18-certificate films.
"But the world 'privileges' is misleading," she said. "It implies there is a lot of luxury in prison, whereas that really is not the case."
