The Contracted-Out Prisons (Specification of Restricted Activities) Order 2009

• Citation: S.I. 2009/576
• Sections: 13

Section 1 Citation and commencement

This Order may be cited as the Contracted-Out Prisons (Specification of Restricted Activities) Order 2009 and shall come into force on the 6th April 2009.

Section 2 Interpretation

In this Order—

“fixed post” means a specifically identified position in the prison where the physical presence of a member of staff is used to supplement other physical security barriers or systems;

“select prisoner work parties” means work parties consisting of prisoners who have been the subject of appropriate risk assessment identifying them as requiring lower supervision.

Section 3 Specified restricted activities

The activities specified in the Schedule to this Order may be the subject of authorisations under section 86B(3) of the Criminal Justice Act 1991.

Section 1

General gate duties; in particular

the operation of electronic and manual gates, portals, x‑ray and metal detector equipment;

the routine searching of visitors and staff;

carrying out random or targeted searching of any person, acting upon the instruction and supervision of a prisoner custody officer or the director.

Section 2

Control of visitors; in particular

checking in visitors (including identification of visitors and use of identification equipment);

receiving and searching visitors and property;

supervision of storage of visitors’ property in lockers;

the staffing of any external visitor centre;

control and escort of contractors and vehicles (including, where appropriate, searching);

carrying out random or targeted searching of any person, acting upon the instruction and supervision of a prisoner custody officer or the director.

Section 3

Communications room or control room duties; in particular

monitoring CCTV equipment;

monitoring computerised security systems;

operating any internal radio communications system.

Section 4

Carrying out patrols of the prison perimeter and grounds; in particular

assisting at fixed posts and at internal gates

supervision of alarm bell points at prisoner movement times.

Section 5

Carrying out night patrol duties.

Section 6

Searching duties:

searching of buildings and other areas of the prison;

searching of prisoner property, in particular X-ray searching of property, but not including prisoner accommodation or prisoner’s property contained in a cell.

Section 7

Supervising select prisoner work parties; in particular work parties carrying out duties in stores, the mess and the kitchen.

Section 8

Carrying out of Fire Officer duties, and the use of Short Duration Breathing Apparatus ( SDBA ) or other fire safety systems, which have to be performed by a trained and suitably experienced worker.

Section 9

Routine administrative work ancillary to custodial duties, in particular

dealing with prison correspondence, but not including correspondence to or from prisoners;

mail distribution and checking;

obtaining prisoner signatures for private cash;

monitoring of telephones or recordings of telephone calls;

inputting information to computerised or manual records.

Section 10

Carrying out canteen and kit exchange, general stores duties or acting as a driver or navigator.