Official Statistics

Annual Prison Performance Ratings Guide 2023/24

Published 25 July 2024

Applies to England and Wales

1. Guide to Annual Prison Performance Ratings

1.1 Introduction

His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) with the goal of helping prison and probation services work together to manage offenders through their sentences. For 2023/24, HMPPS determined that performance would be assessed using a suite of performance measures resulting in performance ratings for both public sector and privately managed prisons across England and Wales.

The Annual Prison Performance Ratings are derived from the Prison Performance Tool Dashboard (PPTD). All prison performance ratings reflect performance between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024.

There is overlap between some information provided in the Annual Prison Performance Ratings and other MoJ publications:

• The Safety in Custody National Statistics published quarterly by MoJ. Previous and current publications can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/safety-in-custody-statistics.

• The HMPPS Annual Digest Official Statistics is published annually by MoJ. Previous and current publications can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/prison-and-probation-trusts-performance-statistics.

• The HMPPS Workforce Official Statistics published quarterly by MoJ. Previous and current publications can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-offender-management-service-workforce-statistics.

• The Offender Accommodation Outcomes Official Statistics published annually by MoJ. The current publication can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-accommodation-outcome-statistics.

• The Offender Employment Outcomes Official Statistics published annually by MoJ. The current publication can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-employment-outcome-statistics.

Data presented have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the level of detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system.

1.2 Prison Performance Tool Dashboard

The 2023/24 prison performance framework used 33 outcome-focussed key performance measures to formally assess prisons. These formed the basis of the prison performance framework for 2023/24. They reflected HMPPS priorities and are aligned to the areas of: 

1. Safety
2. Security
3. Respect
4. Purposeful Activity
5. Preparation for Release
6. Organisational Effectiveness

The PPTD reported the 2023/24 framework. The majority of measures within the framework utilise a performance against target model to assess performance in each prison. See Annex C for more detail regarding the methodology, thresholds and rules applied.

The data-driven ratings were subject to a moderation process and ratified in June 2024. In the PPTD, overall performance in each prison is rated on a 1 to 4 scale. The different ratings are:

4 - Outstanding performance

3 - Good performance

2 - Performance of concern

1 - Performance of serious concern

The measures by priority area are shown in Table 1 below:

Table 1: 2023/24 Performance Measures by Priority Area

Priority Area	Measure
Safety	Prisoner on prisoner assaults incidents
	Assaults on staff incidents
	Self-harm incidents
	Positive random mandatory drug testing (rMDT)
	Safety Audit/Risk Management Audit
	Measuring the Quality of Prisoner Life – safety and security
	His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons – safety
Security	Escapes from closed prisons
	The rate of absconds
	Releases in error
	Security Audit
Respect	Measuring the Quality of Prison Life – respect
	Audit of Living Conditions
	His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons – respect
Purposeful Activity	Education progress in English and maths
	Attendance at education courses
	Achievement of vocational qualifications
	Percentage of prisoners in purposeful activity
	Prisoners on paid work Release on Temporary License (ROTL) - rate per 1,000 prisoners
	Measuring the Quality of Prisoner Life - purposeful activity
	His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons - purposeful activity
Preparation for Release	Employment at six months following custodial release
	Employment at six weeks following custodial release
	His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons - Preparation for Release
	Housed on first night of custodial release
	Family and Significant Others
	Accredited Programmes completions
	Keyworker Quality Assessment
Organisational Effectiveness	Incident Reporting System – Data Quality Audit
	Incident Reporting System – assaults checks
	Incident Reporting System – self-harm checks
	Staff resignation rate
	Staff sickness

Each performance measure along with the data source can be found in Annex A.

1.3 Prison Scores

Each prison has an overall performance rating, which is constructed by combining all the measures in the framework.

Each measure carries a weighting, with the sum of all measure weights adding up to 100% for each prison. The weightings represent the importance of the performance measure for HMPPS. Measures are weighted differently for different prison functional groups, based on their relative importance. Not all performance measures in the framework apply to every prison as a result of varying prison functions.

Each applicable measure carries a rating for each prison; most are rated on a 1 to 4 scale, while some measures only allow ratings of 1 to 3. As such, the maximum possible score a prison can achieve on the PPTD varies depending on which measures apply to the prison and the specific distribution of weights. To overcome this, the overall prison ratings are assigned using the score the prison achieved as a percentage of the maximum possible score achievable.

There are also differences in the way measure ratings are calculated. Some compare performance to target, some are set nationally to reflect consistent expectations across the estate, whereas others are specific to each prison considering a range of local factors. For audit and HM Inspectorate of Prisons measures, the measure rating corresponds directly to the audit or inspection outcome.

The prison’s overall percentage performance score is calculated by dividing the sum of these scores multiplied by the weighting, by the sum of the maximum possible scores multiplied by the weighting. This overall percentage score determines the overall rating of the prison using the thresholds shown below in Table 2:

Table 2: Rating thresholds for 2023/24

Rating	Percentage of max score
4: Outstanding performance	Greater than or equal to 81%
3: Good performance	Less than 81% And Greater than or equal to 58%
2: Performance of concern	Less than 58% And Greater than or equal to 51%
1: Performance of serious concern	Less than 51%

1.4 Moderation

Prior to the publication of Annual Prison Performance Ratings, an annual moderation process is undertaken by HMPPS. During this process, performance data is scrutinised by key stakeholders in the prison performance process and considered alongside wider contextual evidence to make a final assessment for the year-end rating of each prison. This ensures the rating for each prison is fully reflective of performance.

In 2023/24 prisons were automatically considered for moderation if the following criteria were met:

• The prison had an escape in the 2023/24 performance year,

• The prison received an Urgent Notification in 2023/24 that was not considered as part of moderation in 2022/23,

• The prison received a rating of Unsatisfactory in the ‘Managing Risk of Escape’ Function of the Security Audit/Security Diagnostic in 2023/24, or,

• A prison in the Long Term High Security Estate (LTHSE) received a score below 3 (good) in their 2023/24 Security Audit/Security Diagnostic.

In addition, prisons and prison leaders could submit a moderation proposal to challenge the data-driven performance rating. Where a justifiable improvement or decline in performance would move a prison to the next rating, evidence was considered by the moderation panel as to whether the rating should change.

A moderation panel discussed each proposal to agree a final rating. Prisons that were not brought forward to the moderation panel kept their data-driven rating.

In the Annual Prison Performance Ratings Publication, we present the data-driven breakdowns at measure level and whether the overall rating was changed following moderation.

1.5 Weights

Each measure in the PPTD is weighted differently for each group, reflecting the relative importance HMPPS places on the measure for that group to account for the different nature of the prisons. The agreed weightings for each group can be seen in Annex B.

Weight redistribution

Where a measure does not apply to a prison, the weighting for that measure is proportionately redistributed to all other measures across the PPTD, ensuring the weightings continue to sum to 100%.

Generally, Audits and HMIP Inspections do not take place on an annual basis. As such these measures are age weighted on the assumption that the results become less relevant over time. The weighting for these measures reduces in weight as shown in Table 3 below:

Table 3: Weighting reduction over time for Audit measures

Age	Weighting reduces by:
Up to 1 year	0%
1 to 2 years	20%
2 to 3 years	40%
3 to 4 years	60%
Over 4 years	80%

In these cases, the weighting which no longer applies to the measure is proportionately redistributed across all other measures in the framework.

1.6 Rules

There are a number of rules in place across the framework that impact on the data-driven ratings for the measures. These rules can be grouped into the following categories:

• Measure level ratings being capped:

  • Where, even if they meet their target, a prison cannot attain a rating above a predetermined level; or
  • performance below a certain level in an audit-based measure can enforce a cap on a non-audit based measure.

• Where drug testing levels are not met for a certain number of months, the rating for the corresponding measure is capped.

• A certain number of prisoners must have been released in the time period for a measure to apply to a prison.

A full list of rules and the measures to which they apply can be found in Annex C.

1.7 Inclusion in the Prison Performance Tool Dashboard

In 2023/24, 119 prisons were included in the PPTD, compromising of 10 Category B prisons, 8 Category C Resettlement prisons, 18 Category C Trainer prisons, 23 Category C Trainer/Resettlement prisons, 12 Female prisons, 5 High Security prisons, 13 Open prisons and 30 Reception prisons.

The under 18 Young Offender Institutes (YOIs) were removed from the prison performance process in 2022/23 as the framework was not aligned to their priorities. The under 18 YOIs (5) and Secure Training Centre (1) are being monitored through the Youth Custody Service (YCS) Performance Framework, and is summarised in the YCS Annex: 2023-24, YCS Annex Guide: 2023/24 and YCS Annex Table: 2023-24.

1.8 Data Redactions

Positive random mandatory drug testing (rMDT)

In 2023/24 there were 25% more tests completed as compared to 2022/23. However, the rate of testing remains below pre-pandemic levels and the number of prisons meeting the required minimum number of tests are insufficient to be assured that the resulting estimates will be unbiased. For more information, please refer to the HMPPS Annual Digest Official Statistics. Although the data has been included in the performance calculations, due to these data quality concerns data for the Positive random mandatory drug testing is not included in Tables 1 and 2.

The data for the Accredited programmes completions measure has not been finalised for 2023/24, so it is not included in the publication. This data will be included in the Prison Education and Accredited Programme Statistics 2023 to 2024 released on 26 September 2024.

1.9 Prison Functional Groups

Prisons were assigned to Functional Groups based on their predominant function. The Prison Functional Groups were the basis of the relative performance used for assessment. Descriptions of the prison functional groups can be found in Table 1.

Table 4 – Prison Functional Group Descriptions

Group	Description
High Security (5 prisons)	Hold male prisoners classified as category A; prisoners whose escape would be highly dangerous to the public, the police or the security of the state and for whom the aim must be to make escape impossible.
Category B (10 prisons)	Hold male prisoners classified as category B; prisoners for whom the very highest conditions of security are not necessary but for whom escape must be made very difficult.
Category C Resettlement (8 prisons)	Hold male prisoners classified as category C with up to 24 months’ time left to serve in preparation for resettlement.
Male Category C Trainer (18 prisons)	Hold male prisoners classified as category C; prisoners who cannot be trusted in open conditions but who do not have the will to make a determined escape attempt or the resources to do so. Some category C trainer prisons will hold a specialist cohort of men including men convicted of sexual offences. Some prisons hold foreign national prisoners who are category C and are of interest to the Home Office with between 3 and 36 months’ time left to serve of their sentence. Prisoners in training prisons will transfer to a resettlement prison with between 10 and 24 months’ time left to serve. This will be dependent on addressing their offending behaviour needs and on resettlement requirements.
Category C Trainer/Resettlement (23 Prisons)	Hold male prisoners classified as category C; prisoners who cannot be trusted in open conditions but who do not have the will to make a determined escape attempt or the resources to do so. Prisoners in training/resettlement prisons will transition between the training and resettlement cohorts with between 10 and 24 months’ time left to serve in preparation for resettlement. This may mean those with 10 months’ time left to serve require a transfer to a more appropriate resettlement prison based on individual need.
Open (13 Prisons)	Accommodate category D prisoners whose risk of absconding is considered to be low or who are of low risk to the public because of the way they have addressed their offending behaviour. Open prisons also house indeterminate and longer-sentenced prisoners who are coming towards the end of their sentence and who have gradually worked their way down the categories.
Reception (30 prisons)	Hold male prisoners. These serve the courts and receive remand and post-conviction prisoners, before their allocation to other establishments. They hold many short-term prisoners; remand prisoners; those waiting allocation to training prisons; and may hold a small number of immigration detainees. The short-term prisoners held in local prisons are those who are due for release into the surrounding area and as such engage with resettlement providers in the last 16 months of their sentence.
Female (12 prisons)	These hold both female prisoners for whom the very highest conditions of security are not necessary but who present too high a risk for open conditions or for whom open conditions are not appropriate as well as females who are assessed as suitable for open conditions.

1.10 Comparator Groups

The 2023/24 comparator groups of prisons can be found in Table 6. A nearest neighbour statistical model is used to calculate the comparator groups. A number of contextual variables are used to determine a statistical score for each prison. These include:

• Prison type;

• Whether the prison holds young offenders;

• Prison category;

• Gender of prisoners;

• Proportion of prisons who are sex offenders;

• Complexity of the prison to determine whether it is a standard site, complex or diverse and complex^{[footnote 1]} ;

• Operational capacity;

• Average age of the prisoners;

• Churn of prisoners^{[footnote 2]} ;

• Building age;

• Proportion of different category prisoners;

• Proportion of prisoners who are foreign national offenders.

The variables are weighted with the most important, as set by HMPPS, contributing more to the statistically derived score. Prisons with the nearest scores are set as the comparators with each prison having a maximum of eight within their group. A comparator group is unique to the prison. If Prison A has prisons B and C in its comparator group, this does not necessarily mean Prison B would have prisons A and C in its group.

1.11 Annex A – Performance Measure Information

Priority Area	Performance Measure	Data source
Safety	Prisoner on prisoner assaults incidents Prisoner on prisoner assaults incidents reported as an annualised rate per 1,000 prisoners. An assault is defined as unwanted physical contact between two or more individuals.	Prison NOMIS
	Assaults on staff incidents Assaults on staff reported as an annualised rate per 1,000 prisoners. An assault is defined as unwanted physical contact between two or more individuals.	Prison NOMIS
	Self-harm incidents Self-harm incidents reported as an annualised rate per 1,000 prisoners. Self-harm is defined as any act where a prisoner deliberately harms or injures themselves.	Prison NOMIS
	Positive random mandatory drug testing (rMDT) The average rate of positive results from random mandatory drug testing.	MDT testing lab
	Number of months required MDT levels not met The total number of months required MDT levels are not met	MDT testing lab
	Safety Audit/Risk Management Audit An announced audit to determine how effectively the prison is assessing and managing risks of violence and self-harm. A higher score shows better performance.	Performance, Assurance and Risk Group
	Measuring the Quality of Prison Life – safety and security A survey of prisoners’ perceptions of safety in the prison. A higher score shows better performance.	Performance, Assurance and Risk Group
	His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons – safety Focusses on early days in custody, managing behaviour, security, safeguarding and leadership and management of safety. A higher score shows better performance.	His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons
Security	Escapes from closed prisons A prisoner escapes from a prison or prisoner escort if they unlawfully gain their liberty by breaching the secure perimeter of a closed prison, i.e. the outside wall or boundary of the prison.	Prison NOMIS
	The rate of absconds Abscond incidents reported as a rate per 100,000 prisoner days. An abscond is an escape that does not involve overcoming a physical security. Only applies to open prisons.	Prison NOMIS
	Releases in error A prisoner is released in error if they are released from a HMPPS establishment or court when they should otherwise have remained in HMPPS/HMCTS custody and the prisoner or third party has not deliberately played a part in the error.	Prison NOMIS
	Security Audit To review levels of compliance within specific HM Prison Service Performance Standards.	Performance, Assurance and Risk Group
Respect	Measuring the Quality of Prison Life – respect A survey of prisoners’ perceptions of respect in the prison. A higher score shows better performance.	Performance, Assurance and Risk Group
	Audit of Living Conditions To help drive improvements in living conditions in prisons. Residential units, cells, communal areas including serveries, toilets and showers are observed. A higher score shows better performance.	Performance, Assurance and Risk Group
	His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons – respect Focuses on staff-prisoner relationships, daily life, equality, diversity and faith, health, well-being and social care and leadership and management of respect. A higher score shows better performance.	His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons
Purposeful Activity	Education progress in English and maths The percentage of prisoners, initially assessed as being below level 2 in English and/or maths, who make progress by achieving an accredited qualification in either or both of these subjects while in custody. This measure does not apply to prisons in Wales or privately managed prisons who are not signed up for the Prison Education Framework.	CURIOUS and Prison NOMIS
	Attendance at education courses The percentage of prisoners attending classroom or workshop lessons in custody, as a proportion of the number of lessons the prisoner is expected to attend. This measure does not apply to prisons in Wales or privately managed prisons who are not signed up for the Prison Education Framework.	CURIOUS
	Achievement of vocational qualifications The percentage of vocational courses which are successfully achieved by prisoners in custody. This measure does not apply to prisons in Wales or privately managed prisons who are not signed up for the Prison Education Framework.	CURIOUS
	Percentage of prisoners in purposeful activity The percentage of prisoners in at least half-time Purposeful Activity, as a proportion of all prisoners in scope. This measure does not apply to privately managed prisons.	Prison NOMIS
	Prisoners on paid work Release on Temporary License (ROTL) – rate per 1,000 prisoners Prisoners released on ROTL for paid work as a rate per 1,000 prisoners in the male open estate and the fully open women’s estate.	Prison NOMIS
	Measuring the Quality of Prison Life – purposeful activity A survey of prisoners’ perceptions of purposeful activity in the prison. A higher score shows better performance.	Performance, Assurance and Risk Group
	His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons – purposeful activity Focusses on time out of cell, education, skills and work activities and leadership and management of purposeful activity. A higher score shows better performance.	His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons
Preparation for Release	Employment at six months following custodial release The number of releases in employment on the date six months after release date, as a proportion of all eligible releases from a custodial sentence.	National Delius and Prison NOMIS
	Employment at six weeks following custodial release The number of releases in employment on the date six weeks after release date, as a proportion of all eligible releases from a custodial sentence.	National Delius and Prison NOMIS
	His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons – Preparation for Release Focusses on children and families and contact with the outside world, reducing risk, rehabilitation and progression, interventions, specialist units, release planning and leadership and management of rehabilitation and release planning. A higher score shows better performance.	His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons
	Housed on first night of custodial release The number of releases with accommodation on the first night of release as a proportion of all eligible releases from a custodial sentence.	National Delius and Prison NOMIS
	Family and significant others Self-assessment of services and provisions put into place within prisons to strengthen the relationship between prisoners and their family and significant others.	Family and significant other self-assessment form
	Accredited programmes completions The number of Offending Behaviour Programme (OBP) completions	Monthly data from prison establishments collated in central performance systems
	Keyworker Quality Assessment Audit of key worker session quality delivered to a random sample of prisoners at establishments in the male closed estate and women’s estate.	Manual checks
	Keyworker Quality Invalid Notes The percentage of case notes which do not meet the criteria of a key worker session	Manual checks
Organisational Effectiveness	Incident Reporting System – Data Quality Audit Audit ensuring reportable incidents are recorded on the Incident Reporting System package of Prison-NOMIS. A higher score shows better performance.	Performance, Assurance and Risk Group
	Incident Reporting System – assaults checks Percentage of assaults incidents checked in the Incident Reporting System Data Quality Audit recorded on Prison-NOMIS. A higher percentage shows better performance.	Performance, Assurance and Risk Group
	Incident Reporting System – self-harm checks Percentage of self-harm incidents checked in the Incident Reporting System Data Quality Audit recorded on Prison-NOMIS. A higher percentage shows better performance.	Performance, Assurance and Risk Group
	Staff resignation rate Rate of Band 3-5 Prison Officer staff resignations. Some resignations are expected, but too high a rate is cause for concern. This measure does not apply to privately managed prisons.	Single Operating Platform
	Staff sickness Average working days lost to sickness absence.	Single Operating Platform and Manual Data Return

1.12 Annex B – Measure Weightings

	Measure	Weightings [footnote 3]
		Male closed	Open	Female
Safety	Prisoner on prisoner assaults incidents	4.5%	3.2%	4.1%
	Assaults on staff incidents	4.5%	3.2%	4.1%
	Self-harm incidents	4.5%	3.2%	4.1%
	Positive random mandatory drug testing (rMDT)	3.0%	3.2%	2.7%
	Safety Audit/Risk Management Audit	4.5%	4.8%	4.1%
	Measuring the Quality of Prisoner Life – safety and security	1.5%	1.6%	1.4%
	His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons – safety	4.5%	4.8%	4.1%
Security	Escapes from closed prisons	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
	The rate of absconds	0.0%	4.8%	2.7%
	Releases in error	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
	Security Audit	6.0%	3.2%	5.5%
Respect	Measuring the Quality of Prison Life – respect	1.5%	1.6%	1.4%
	Audit of Living Conditions	3.0%	1.6%	4.1%
	His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons – respect	4.5%	4.8%	4.1%
Purposeful Activity	Education progress in English and maths	3.0%	1.6%	2.7%
	Attendance at education courses	3.0%	3.2%	2.7%
	Achievement of vocational qualifications	3.0%	4.8%	2.7%
	Percentage of prisoners in purposeful activity	1.5%	1.6%	1.4%
	Prisoners on paid work ROTL - rate per 1,000 prisoners	6.0%	4.8%	4.1%
	Measuring the Quality of Prisoner Life – purposeful activity	1.5%	4.8%	4.1%
	His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons - purposeful activity	4.5%	4.8%	4.1%
Preparation for Release	Employment at six months following custodial release	3.0%	3.2%	2.7%
	Employment at six weeks following custodial release	3.0%	3.2%	2.7%
	His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons - Preparation for Release	4.5%	4.8%	4.1%
	Housed on first night of custodial release	4.5%	6.3%	4.1%
	Family and Significant Others	1.5%	4.8%	4.1%
	Accredited programmes completions	4.5%	1.6%	4.1%
	Keyworker Quality Assessment	4.5%	0.0%	4.1%
Organisational Effectiveness	Incident Reporting System – Data Quality Audit	4.5%	4.8%	4.1%
	Incident Reporting System – assaults checks	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
	Incident Reporting System – self-harm checks	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
	Staff resignation rate	3.0%	3.2%	2.7%
	Staff sickness	3.0%	3.2%	2.7%

1.13 Annex C - Thresholds, Caps and Rules

Measure	1	2	3	4	Rules
Prisoner on prisoner assaults incidents	> 125% of target	Above target but <= 125% of target	<= Target	<= 75% of target	A national maximum rate has been included. This is the level above which a prison can only achieve a maximum rating of 2, even if they achieve their target. For 2023/24 this is set based on the function of the prison: Adult prisons: 128.9 YOI prisons (18 to 21): 412.93 Additionally, if a prison has a rating of 2 or less for the IRS Assault checks measure (or if the IRS Assaults check is N/A and they have a rating of 2 or less for the IRS Data Quality Audit measure) the maximum rating achievable will be a 2.
Assaults on staff incidents	> 125% of target	Above target but <= 125% of target	<= Target	<= 75% of target	A national maximum rate has been included. This is the level above which a prison can only achieve a maximum rating of 2, even if they achieve their target. For 2023/24 this is set based on the function of the prison: Adult prisons: 66.73 YOI prisons (18 to 21): 123.94 Additionally, if a prison has a rating of 2 or less for the IRS Assault checks measure (or if the IRS Assaults check is N/A and they have a rating of 2 or less for the IRS Data Quality Audit measure) the maximum rating achievable will be a 2.
Self-harm incidents	> 125% of target	Above target but <= 125% of target	<= Target	<= 75% of target	A national maximum rate has been included. This is the level above which a prison can only achieve a maximum rating of 2, even if they achieve their target. For 2023/24 the maximum rate for male prisons is 484.53 and for female prisons is 4,573.5. Additionally, if a prison has a rating of 2 or less for the IRS Self-harm checks measure (or if the IRS Self-harm check is N/A and they have a rating of 2 or less for the IRS Data Quality Audit measure) the maximum rating achievable will be a 2.
Positive random mandatory drug testing (rMDT)	> 125% of target	Above target but <= 125% of target	<= Target	<= 75% of target	If a prison misses testing levels in at least one, but fewer than half, of the months in the reporting period, the maximum rating achievable in the RMDT measure will be a 3. If a prison misses testing levels in half or more months in the reporting period, the rating for RMDT will be reduced by 1 and the maximum rating achievable will be a 2. If a prison misses the testing levels in all months in the reporting period, the maximum rating achievable will be a 1. Additionally, a functional maximum rate has also been included for 2023/24. This is the level above which a prison can only achieve a maximum rating of 2, even if they achieve their target. For 2023/24 this is equal to 16.1%.
Safety Audit/Risk Management Audit	1	2	3	4	The most recent score of the two audits is used for this measure and the associated audit date for age weighting.
MQPL - safety and security	1	2	3
HMIP - safety	1	2	3	4
Escapes from prison	1 or more escapes	N/A	0 escapes	N/A	An escape will result in automatic moderation at the end of the year.
The rate of absconds	> 110% of target	Above target but <= 110% of target	<= Target	Top 25% prisons with lowest absconds rate on condition the target is met
Releases in error					Any Release in Error within the performance year will be referred to the Release in Error panel and any relevant information will be provided to the Area Executive Director for consideration as part of the moderation process.
Security Audit	1	2	3	4
MQPL - respect	1	2	3	4
Audit of Living Conditions	1	2	3	4
HMIP - respect	1	2	3	4
Education progress in English and maths	<= 75% of target	Below target but > 75% of target	>= Target	> 125% of target
Attendance at education courses	<= 85% of target	Below target but > 85% of target	>= Target	> 115% of target	A national minimum percentage has been included. This is the level below which a prison can only achieve a maximum rating of 2, even if they achieve their target. For 2023/24 this is equal to 65%.
Achievement of vocational qualifications	<= 95% of target	Below target but > 95% of target	>= Target	> 110% of target
Percentage of prisoners in purposeful activity	<= 75% of target Open prisons: <= 90% of target	Below target but >75% of target Open prisons: Below target but > 90% of target	>= Target	> 125% of target Open prisons: Outturn 97% or higher
Prisoners on paid work ROTL - rate per 1,000 prisoners	<= 75% of target	Below target but > 75% of target	>= Target	>= 125% of target	A national minimum has been included. This is the level below which a prison can only achieve a maximum rating of 2, even if they achieve their target. For 2023/24 this is equal to 277.60.
MQPL - purposeful activity	1	2	3	4
HMIP - purposeful activity	1	2	3	4
Employment at 6 months following custodial release	<= 75% of target	Below target but > 75% of target	>= Target	> 120% of target	A national minimum percentage has been included. This is the level below which a prison can only achieve a maximum rating of 2, even if they achieve their target. For 2023/24 this is equal to 10%. Prisons that are not in receipt of employment initiatives and have had fewer than 30 releases recorded in the performance year will not be held to account for these measures.
Employment at 6 weeks following custodial release	<= 75% of target	Below target but > 75% of target	>= Target	> 120% of target	A national minimum percentage has been included. This is the level below which a prison can only achieve a maximum rating of 2, even if they achieve their target. For 2023/24 this is equal to 10%. Prisons that are not in receipt of employment initiatives and have had fewer than 30 releases recorded in the performance year will not be held to account for these measures.
HMIP - Preparation for Release	1	2	3	4
Housed on first night of custodial release	<= 90% of target	Below target but > 90% of target	>= Target	> 105% of target	Prisons that have had fewer than 30 releases recorded in the performance year will not be held to account for these measures.
Family and Significant Others	1 - <=1.74, measure rating is 1	1.75 - <=2.49, measure rating is a 2	2.5 - <=3.24, measure rating is a 3	3.25 - <=4, measure rating is a 4	Prisons are ranked within their functional group based on their score for this measure. The rank of the prison is then rescaled to be between 1 and 4. The resulting value is used to determine the rating based on the thresholds outlined here.
Accredited programmes completions	<= 80% of target	Below target but > 80% of target	>= Target	N/A
Keyworker Quality	Cases where conditions for ratings 2 to 4 do not apply	Outturn > 1.85 and Invalid Cases < 5%	Outturn > 2.35 and Invalid Cases < 2.5%	Outturn > 3.15 and Invalid Cases < 1%
IRS - Data Quality Audit	1	2	3	4
IRS - Assaults checks
IRS - Self-harm checks
Staff resignation rate	> 125% of target	Above target but <= 125% of target	<= Target	N/A
Staff sickness	> 12 days	Between 9 and 12 days	<= 9 days	<= 9 days and top 15% nationally

1. Prison complexity is a judgement based on prison population and churn rate, amount of staff, complexity of prisoner population and notoriety, location, site logistics, categorisation and risk, political scrutiny, media relations and management and financial commercial management. ↩

2. Churn of prisoners is the rate of new admissions or transfers in as a proportion of the prison population. ↩

3. Percentages are rounded and therefore may not add to exactly 100% ↩