What are Prison Service Orders and Prison Service Instructions?
Prison Service Orders ("PSOs") and Prison Service Instructions ("PSIs") are policy documents. These policies relate to all aspects of prison life and management.
Why are PSOs and PSIs important?
They are important because they impact upon prisoners' lives whilst in custody, for a wide range of issues, from sentence planning (PSI 41/2012) to non-slip shoes (PSI 57/2010).
Furthermore, in much of the decision-making in prisons, wide discretion is afforded to those in charge. Failure to use that discretion reasonably or fairly could render the decision susceptible to judicial review. Successful challenges to such decision making could be based on a failure to comply with policy contained in a PSO or PSI. These documents are therefore vital to decipher what precisely the policy in relation to a specific issue actually is.
Where can PSOs and PSIs be found?
