Private Prison Contractors England & Wales

Private sector prisons are subject to a series of controls; like prisons managed by the Prison Service, they are subject to scrutiny by Parliament and to inspection by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons They are required by contract to comply with most of the Prison Rules and Prison Service Orders and Instructions. In addition the contracts for private sector prisons contain a number of performance measures which lead to reduced payments if the prison fails to comply with operational requirements.

Each privately managed prison has a Controller, a Prison Service governor grade, whose job is to adjudicate on disciplinary matters and to monitor the contractor’s compliance with the contract. The Controllers’ role is crucial as their presence on site means that they are well placed to judge how their prison is performing. The Controllers, their Deputies and support staff provide 24 hour cover. The headquarters team that manages the private sector, Contracts and Competition Group, also carry out regular audits to check on its overall compliance with their contracts.

Private sector prisons have considerable scope for innovation particularly in respect of regimes. HM Chief Inspector has frequently commented on examples of good practice that he has seen during an inspection of a privately managed prison, such as anti-bullying and suicide awareness strategies..

The need to comply with performance measures and the introduction of innovative practices mean that private sector prisons compare favourably with their public sector counterparts in operational terms. The competition between private sector companies drive costs down. Private sector prisons provide good value for money, that is high quality performance at a low cost and thereby drive up standards in the public sector.