Written question asked by David Baines (Labour) on Tuesday, 8 July 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 10 July 2025. It was answered by Nicholas Dakin (Labour) on Wednesday, 16 July 2025 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Prison Officers: Long Service Awards

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to extend the Prison Service Long Service Medal to operational officers in privately managed prisons.

Answer: The Prison Services Long Service & Good Conduct Medal is awarded to operational staff in the UK Prison Services on completion of 20 years’ continuous meritorious service, and aligns operational public sector prison staff with comparable organisations such as the Police, Fire and Ambulance Services and the Armed Forces. It is a medal awarded by the Head of State to eligible state employees, details of which are set out in a Royal Warrant.

In 2016, the Cabinet Office confirmed that official medals of this type can only be awarded to staff working in public sector prisons and not those in prisons run by private sector companies. This is in line with the existing criteria used for the award of Long Service & Good Conduct Medals to the other Crown services.

Secondary information