Britain: An official handbook > 1977

JUSTICE AND THE LAW
Remission of
Sentence and
Parole
Employment
93
In spite of this increase in size and the problems that go with it, however, the
keystone of Britain’s prison service is still the ability of the individual prison
officer to handle relationships with difficult people in the exacting environment
of the custodial institution.
The aims of the prison service are, briefly, to provide for the detention of those
committed to custody under the law in conditions generally acceptable to
society, and to develop constructive methods of treatment and training in the
hope that they will lead to the prisoner’s rehabilitation and reform. To this end
prisoners are classified into groups, taking into account the likelihood of their
escaping, the degree to which their escape would offer a threat to the public or
the State, and the justification of high expenditure on providing secure con¬
ditions. People awaiting trial are entitled to privileges not granted to convicted
prisoners and as far as practicable are separated from convicted prisoners.
Prisoners under 21 are separated from older prisoners.
Prisons to which offenders may be committed directly by a court are known as
‘local prisons’; all are closed establishments. Other prisons, which may be open
or closed, receive prisoners on transfer from local prisons. Separate prisons cater
for women prisoners.
Many British prisons were built during the nineteenth century and are un¬
satisfactory by modern standards; overcrowding is also a problem. To improve
conditions generally, new prisons are being built and existing establishments
redeveloped and modernised, as far as resources allow.
All prisoners serving a sentence of imprisonment for an actual term of more than
one month, except those sentenced to imprisonment for life, are allowed remis¬
sion of one-third of their sentence provided that this does not reduce their
sentence below 31 days (in Scotland, 30 days). Remission may be forfeited for
serious misconduct in prison. In addition, prisoners serving fixed sentences
totalling more than 18 months become eligible for consideration for release on
parole after serving one-third of their sentence or 12 months, whichever expires
later. (In Northern Ireland there is no parole scheme, but prisoners receive
one-half remission on determinate sentences subject to a liability, in the case of
those serving over a year, to be ordered to serve the outstanding balance of the
remitted period in the event of reconviction for an imprisonable offence.)
The parole licence remains in force until the date on which the prisoner
would have been released if he had not been licensed or, for prisoners serving
extended sentences (in England and Wales only) and offenders sentenced while
under 21 years of age, until the end of the sentence.
Prisoners serving life sentences are also eligible for release on licence, after
consultation with the judiciary and on the recommendation of the Parole Board.
Those released in this way remain on licence for the rest of their lives and are
subject to recall at any time should the circumstances warrant it.
The main aim of prison industries is to give an offender in custody a training and
experience that will fit him to get and retain a job on discharge. The primary
source of work lies in the domestic requirements of the prison service itself in
clothing and equipping prisoners and providing furniture and furnishings.
Goods and services are also supplied to other government departments and
public bodies, and there is a steady growth of sales of a wide range of products
in the open market—for example, textiles, woodwork and engineering
products. The profitable farming and horticultural industries also provide
work and training, and play an increasing part in contributing to the prison
food provision. A few prisoners are employed outside prison.