Glossary

We hope this will help de-mystify some of the criminologists jargon.

Men’s Prisons

Category A Prison: maximum security prison, highly secured, and used mainly for high risk offenders such as murderers, serious sex offenders and terrorists.

Category B Prison: for prisoners who do not require maximum security, but for whom escape needs to be made very difficult, either because they would pose a threat to themselves or society, or because they have a high likelihood of attempting to escape.

Category C Prison: for prisoners who cannot be trusted in open conditions but who are unlikely to try to escape.

Category D Prison: for prisoners who are trusted enough to wander freely but must show up for daily roll calls.

Women's prisons

Category A prisons are the same for serious female offenders, but for other women prisoners categories B and C are closed for prisoners who cannot be trusted in an open prison, and open for prisoners who are trusted enough to wander freely, although as with the men's prison regime, they must show up for daily roll calls.

ROTL
Release on temporary licence. In certain circumstances a prisoner will be allowed to leave prison on a temporary licence. The purpose of this is either for compassionate reasons or to help the prisoner improve their chances of resettlement after their release.