Every prisoner is given a status within the Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) scheme, based on how you behave. Here’s how it works: everyone starts on Entry level when they first arrive, and after about 14 days you’ll normally be reviewed and moved up to Standard, provided you’ve kept out of trouble and engaged with what’s been asked of you – induction, courses, that sort of thing. After a further three months of good, compliant behaviour you can apply to move up again to Enhanced status.
The information on this page is based on the law in England & Wales. If you’re in Scotland, click here for the guide for your jurisdiction. (Northern Ireland guide coming soon.)
Enhanced gets you more visits (and longer ones), a higher weekly spending limit, and other extras that vary a bit between prisons. Basic sits below Entry – it’s a punishment level for anyone who won’t comply with the rules, and it strips things back to the fundamentals: phone calls, visits, and access to education and books, nothing more. You can be moved down to Basic at any point if there’s a serious breach of the rules, and reviews at Basic happen much more often – weekly to start with, then every 28 days.
Exactly what you get at each level for clothing, TV and other privileges differs between establishments, so check the specifics for wherever you end up. You’ll sometimes hear staff talk about the scheme using its older three-tier names of Basic, Standard and Enhanced – don’t worry, it’s the same system underneath, they’re just used to the old names.
| Types of prison and prisoners | Female and juvenile prisoners |
| People you will deal with each day | Daily Timetable |
| Assaults and Bullying | Offenders with learning difficulties |