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1983 Mar 9 - 1986 May 22
Prime Ministerial Private Office files

PREM19/1786
Home Affairs (Policy towards the Prison Service: prison manpower; Scrutiny of the Prison Service) (Part 2)

Source: TNA, PREM19 series
Release date: 2014 Dec 30
Classification: Secret
Page count: 291

PREM19/1786 - download whole file (PDF, 216.25 MB)

Selections from this file

Showing items 1 - 20 of 28

Date Value Title
83 Mar 9 We Major Justice: Whitelaw letter to Brittan ("Prisons manpower and long term expenditure") [MT consents to substantial increase in prisons manpower despite drive to reduce civil service numbers, but emphasises need for efficiency savings elsewhere in prison service] [declassified Dec 2014]
83 Oct 20 Th Major Justice: No.10 minute to MT ("Prison adjudication") ["...review of the present system for dealing with offences in prison."] [declassified Dec 2014]
83 Nov 9 We Major Justice: Brittan letter to Whitelaw (prison education) [Committee report "...disappointing and rather unabalanced..."] [declassified Dec 2014]
83 Dec 30 Fr Major Justice: Brittan PS letter to No.10 (prisoners in police cells) [Brittan press article] [declassified Dec 2014]
84 Mar 9 Fr Major Justice: No.10 letter to Brittan PS ("Scrutinies and value for money") [MT keen to maintain momentum of reform, and presses for report on efficiency in the prison service] [declassified Dec 2014]
84 May 2 We Major Justice: Brittan PS letter to No.10 (police investigations into corruption in the Home Office Prison Department Directorate of Industries and Farms) [declassified Dec 2014]
84 Jul 13 Fr Major Justice: No.10 note to MT (report on tougher regimes in detention centres) [comments on the findings] [declassified Dec 2014]
84 Jul 13 Fr Major Justice: Brittan letter to Whitelaw ("Tougher regimes in detention centres") ["...announcing an immediate programme to establish a consistent detention centre regime as a distinctive feature in the penal system and one which will command the confidence of the courts." ] [declassified Dec 2014]
84 Jul 16 Mo Major Justice: Brittan PS letter to No.10 ("Managing the Long-Term Prison System: the Report of the Control Review Committee") ["One of the most fundamental problems that any prison system has to solve is how to contain its most dangerous and difficult prisoners."] [declassified Dec 2014]
84 Oct 31 We Minor Justice: Brittan PS letter to No.10 ("Prison Service industries and farms") [reforms] [declassified Dec 2014]
85 Feb 4 Mo Major Justice: Brittan PS letter to No.10 ("Regimes in Detention Centres") ["...programme of work to establish a consistent regime for the whole detention centre system... with a view to enhancing the role of detention centres as a distinctive feature of the penal system commanding the confidence of the courts."] [declassified Dec 2014]
85 Jul 23 Tu Major Justice: Younger PS letter to No.10 ("Chiswick Report") [statement to Parliament regarding report on suicide precautions in Glenochil Young Offenders Institution and Detention Centre] [declassified Dec 2014]
85 Aug 7 We Major Justice: Brittan letter to Jenkin (prison accommodation) [No.10: "The Home Secretary is convinced that extra capacity is required despite the Government's concern to develop alternatives to custody and encourage the courts to use them."] [declassified Dec 2014]
86 Mar 19 We Major Justice: Hurd minute to MT (Prison industries) [rationalisation] [declassified Dec 2014]
86 Apr 16 We Major Justice: MT letter to Prison Governors Branch (Prison Service) [funding & threat of industrial action] [declassified Dec 2014]
86 Apr 17 Th Major Justice: Hurd minute to MT ("Possible industrial action by prison officers") [government strategy outline; Hurd statement to Parliament; Policy Unit analysis] [declassified Dec 2014]
86 Apr 29 Tu Major Justice: Younger letter to Hurd (prison officers industrial action) [military assistance] [declassified Dec 2014]
86 May 1 Th Major Justice: Cabinet Office briefing for Whitelaw ("Prison officers' industrial action") [situation report & key issues for Whitelaw meeting with MT] [declassified Dec 2014]
86 May 1 Th Major Justice: Cabinet Office record of conversation (Prison officers' industrial action) [Whitelaw, Hurd, Tom King, Lord Young, John MacGregor, Michael Havers, John Wakeham, John Stanley, William Waldegrave and others] [declassified Dec 2014]
86 May 2 Fr Major Justice: Cabinet Office minute to No.10 ("Prison officers' dispute") [situation report] [declassified Dec 2014]