Glossary

Baseline

A threshold, indicating the minimum number of penalty performance points a contractor can incur before they have to begin paying performance deductions from the annual payment.

Benchmarking

The process of comparing the method, time or cost of an operation, service or product against those of other organisations, preferably thought to be the best in the field.

BoV

Board of Visitors - An independent monitoring board for each prison.

Category A

That category of prisoner posing the highest security risk. There are also Category B, C and D prisoners.

Commissioner for Correctional Services

A Permanent Secretary in the Home Office with responsibility for Prisons and Probation in England and Wales.

Controller

A public sector employee based in the PFI prison who monitors the performance of the prison against contract.

CPU

Central Procurement Unit within the Prison Service. From March 2003 the Section dealing with the contracted prisons, the Office of Contracts and Competitions, reports to the Commissioner for Correctional Services.

First Notice

Served on the Contractor notifying them of a contractual failure which, if it continues or recurs persistently, may result in the termination of the contract.

Group 4

A private contractor.

HMCIP

Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons, independent of the Prison Service.

Juvenile Centre

For 15-18 year olds sentenced by the courts.

KPI

Key Performance Indicator - measures whether the Prison Service is meeting its objectives.

KPT

Key Performance Target - measures a prison's performance against planned activities.

Local prison

A prison whose primary aim is to serve the local courts.

Market testing

The re-tendering on the market of services to test the value for money of that service.

OBP

Offending Behaviour Programme - a course which seeks to change a prisoner's erratic or aggressive thinking behaviour.

PCO

Prison Custody Officer (working in privately managed prisons).

POA

Prison Officers Association. A trade union for public sector prison officers.

Private Finance Initiative

A policy introduced by the Government in 1992 to harness private sector management and expertise in the delivery of public services, while reducing the impact of public borrowing.

Penalty Performance Points

Points for failing to reach an agreed standard as stipulated in the contract.

Premier Prison Services

A private prison contractor.

Quantum

A PFI contract to update HM Prison Service's IT infrastructure.

Securicor Custodial Services

A private prison contractor.

Section 88

Under Section 88 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991, the Secretary of State can appoint a public sector Governor to run the prison.

Service Level Agreement

(SLA) An agreement with a public sector prison which operates in a similar way to a contract with a private contractor.

Standards Audit Unit

A Prison Service team which monitors a prison against the 61 Prison Service Standards.

Tornado

Advanced control and restraint training schemes.

Training prison

A prison whose primary aim is to provide a long term regime for sentenced prisoners.

UKDS

UK Detention Services (a private contractor).

Weighted Scorecard

A management information tool which uses a weighting of key performance results in order to allow one prisons performance to be compared with another.

YJB

Youth Justice Board - an executive non-departmental government body.

YOI

Young Offender Institution for 18-21 year olds.