HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) exists to ensure people serve their sentences given by courts, both in prisons and on probation in the community.
What we do
- Protect the public by running a safe and secure Prison and Probation Service
- Rehabilitate people through education and employment
- Provide support to stop people reoffending
How HMPPS works
HMPPS, an agency of the Ministry of Justice (GOV.UK, opens in a new tab), is made up of:
- HM Prison Service
- the Probation Service
- the Youth Custody Service
- headquarters
Learn more about what we do (GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
HM Prison Service runs all 105 public prisons in England and Wales.
Part of our role is to keep the public safe by holding offenders securely. The other part of our role is to support and educate people in prison to prepare them for a life without offending once they’re released. This involves offering:
- education, training and employment opportunities
- therapeutic programmes to help them tackle the issues that led to their offence
Everyone who works in a prison has a part to play in making these things happen.
The Probation Service plays a vital role, supervising offenders in the community while managing risk to protect the public.
Working across multiple sites in 12 regions of England and Wales, we’re responsible for sentence planning, accredited programmes, interventions and unpaid work.
The YCS aims to create a safe, decent and nurturing environment that provides outstanding levels of care and support for all children in custody.
We’re responsible for the operational running of (public sector) sites across the youth secure estate, for children and young people between 10 and 18 in England and Wales.
Our HQ oversee the running of the department, creating tools and learning to support the Prison Service, Probation Service and YCS.
There are a range of professions you can join. Whether it’s an apprenticeship to develop your skills, or if you’re a seasoned professional looking to work in a department that has real impact.
Our values and professional standards
HMPPS aims to create a positive, professional and supportive environment, where everyone feels valued and understands what’s expected of them.
Our staff come from all walks of life and work in a diverse range of teams and roles. Where we work and the work that we do may be different, but we all share the same organisational values and professional standards.
HMPPS values
Our values guide our day-to day decisions and actions:
- Purpose – Justice matters. We are proud to make a difference for the public we serve.
- Humanity – We treat others as we would like to be treated. We value everyone, supporting and encouraging them to be the best they can be.
- Openness – We innovate, share, and learn. We are courageous and curious, relentlessly pursuing ideas to improve the services we deliver.
- Together – We listen, collaborate and contribute, acting together for our common purpose.
HMPPS professional standards
Working in HMPPS is not your average job. It can sometimes mean dealing with challenging behaviour from prisoners or people on probation and making difficult decisions.
Our everyday behaviours and professional working relationships underpin everything we do, and it is crucial that we never behave poorly ourselves and always maintain our professionalism.
The way we behave affects our colleagues’ wellbeing, outcomes for prisoners and people on probation, plus our ability to protect the public and reduce reoffending. And failure to demonstrate and maintain our professional standards undermines public confidence in HMPPS. Both in and outside of work, our conduct must not bring discredit to HMPPS.
We aim to create a positive, professional, and supportive work environment where:
- high professional standards are the norm
- staff members feel comfortable to challenge and speak up if they witness or experience unprofessional behaviour
- staff have confidence that unprofessional behaviour is dealt with appropriately
HMPPS has a zero-tolerance approach to bullying, harassment, discrimination and victimisation. This means:
- all allegations will be treated seriously
- allegations will be investigated appropriately
- proportionate action will be taken
We have policies and procedures in place to deal with such unacceptable behaviours and a range of sources of support for staff if they experience them.
If you work for HMPPS – whatever your role – you will be expected to:
- carry out your duties conscientiously, honestly and with integrity
- take responsibility and be accountable for your actions
- be courteous, reasonable, and fair in your dealings with prisoners, people on probation, colleagues, and members of the public
- treat people with decency and respect
Due to the nature of our work, we have a number of policies you will need to adhere to, including:
- social media guidelines to keep you safe online
- policies for things such as dealing with official information and speaking to the media
- conduct and discipline policies around criminal activities such as possession or supply of controlled drugs
- a policy prohibiting staff from being members of groups or organisations that are considered to have racist philosophies, principles, aims or policies