Prisoners must ‘work harder’ for TVs and gym

Male prisoners in England and Wales must work harder for priviledges, the government says. Under a series of new proposals, inmates will no longer be entitled to benefits such as television sets and given the freedom to wear casual clothes simply for staying out of trouble.

Instead the government wants inmates to take part in work and education programmes to earn them as rewards.

For too long, there has been an expectation that privileges are an automatic right. Chris Grayling, justice secretary

Violent and sexually explicit 18-rated movies will also be banned from jails in England and Wales under changes to the incentives and earned privileges (IEP) scheme.

The current scheme allows inmates to get privileges – such as a television set in their cell and full gym access – in return for good behaviour.

‘Expectation of privileges’

Justice secretary Chris Grayling criticised those that were “spending hours languishing in their cells and watching daytime television, while the rest of the country goes out to work”. He said: “For too long there has been an expectation that privileges are an automatic right, given as a reward for staying out of trouble. This cannot continue.

“There will be a new entry level for all prisoners in the first two weeks of sentence where perks, including private cash will be restricted.

It is bizarre to introduce new layers of red tape which will only add to teh cost of prison. Frances Crook, Howard League

“All prisoners could find themselves working a longer day and will not be allowed to watch television when they should be working.”

He added: “Only by tackling bad behaviour and taking part in education or work programmes as well as addressing any alcohol or drug issues can we cut reoffending.”

But critics opposed the proposals. Frances Crook, from the penal reform group the Howard League, said: “It is bizarre to introduce new layers of red tape which will only add to the cost of prison and demands on staff time.”