Control and Restraint Training for Prison Officers (C&R)

In shortC&R is the set of physical techniques staff use to bring a violent or non-compliant prisoner under control; current policy calls the umbrella 'use of force'.

Control and restraint, usually shortened to C&R, is the set of physical techniques prison staff are trained to use to bring a violent or non-compliant prisoner under control safely. In current HMPPS policy the umbrella term is 'use of force' (UoF).

The governing document is the Use of Force Policy Framework. It covers the adult estate and applies to prison officers and prisoner custody officers in public prisons, privately managed prisons and escort services.

It sets out the context in which force is used lawfully by trained staff, a professional standard, and mandatory actions for governors and for staff who may need to use force.

Personal safety techniques

Techniques staff may use to protect themselves.

Physical restraint

Approved techniques used to bring an individual under control.

Full relocation

Moving a prisoner under restraint.

Specialist equipment

Handcuffs, batons and PAVA, each with its own rules.

'C&R', 'PST', 'the refresher'

Terms you will hear used loosely in everyday language ('PST' is personal protection or personal safety training).

In shortForce must be necessary, reasonable and proportionate, and you are judged against the standard of a trained officer.

The framework starts with the law. It says the legislation, common law and case law governing use of force include the Criminal Law Act 1967, Prison Rules 1999 (rule 47) and Young Offender Institution Rules 2000 (rule 50), the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 and the European Convention on Human Rights.

Prison Rule 47 says no more force than is necessary shall be used, and that no officer shall act deliberately in a manner calculated to provoke a prisoner.

Necessary

Staff must consider options other than force and, if they act immediately, explain why in their reports.

Reasonable

Judged on the facts of each case and reviewed afterwards by investigators, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman or the courts.

Proportionate

If a lower degree, type or amount of force could have been used, the higher degree is not lawful.

• In self-defence or defence of another
• To prevent imminent self-harm
• To prevent damage to prison property
• To prevent an escape
• To prevent a crime
• When it is essential to maintain order

In shortTorture, inhuman or degrading treatment are prohibited irrespective of the circumstances, and retaliatory or excessive force is never acceptable.

The framework is explicit that force must be compatible with Articles 2 (right to life), 3 (prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment) and 8 (right to private life, including physical and psychological integrity) of the Human Rights Act 1998.

It says that torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment are prohibited irrespective of the circumstances and the prisoner's behaviour.

Any suspected breach must be reported to the governor and Prison Group Director for investigation.

Mental Capacity Act 2005

May be relevant where a prisoner who lacks capacity must be restrained to ensure their safety or receive medical treatment, with restraint limited to the least intrusive type and minimum amount for the shortest possible time.

• Using PAVA on a prisoner who had already been brought under control
• Using batons on a prisoner who refused to leave his cell
• Any use of force that is retaliatory or excessive
• Handcuffs or restraints used to humiliate a prisoner
• Handcuffing that was unnecessary and unjustified, for example because the prisoner was unwell, posed no identifiable risk or resistance or was subject to a medical procedure (found to be a breach of Article 8)

In shortAll new Band 3 officers are trained and assessed against competence criteria, but session numbers, assessment method and pass marks are not published.

Section 23 of the framework deals with training. All new Band 3 prison officers are trained in the use of force curriculum during initial training, with content and length agreed between HMPPS Learning and Development and ORRU, a national HMPPS operational unit.

The initial basic training must cover the legal provisions for use of force, HMPPS use of force policy and approved techniques. At the end of the course, staff are assessed against competence criteria and issued a logbook certifying competence, which must be updated each time an officer receives refresher training.

• The framework does not say how many sessions there are, how they are assessed or what happens if you do not meet the standard.
• The 2018 curriculum booklet referred to eight practical sessions before assessment, but that describes a different course and is dated.
• The job description attached to current adverts lists 'must be trained in restraint techniques' as an ability requirement for the role.
• Ofsted's 2024 inspection of the Learning Centre said apprentices learn the techniques they need to manage serious incidents and how and when to escalate intervention to prevent them.

In shortFront-line Bands 3 to 5 need eight practical hours plus e-learning every year, and lapsed staff must not take part in planned control and restraint.

• Annual refresher8 hoursPractical skills, plus mandatory e-learning modules
• After a long absenceWithin 3 monthsIf no training in the previous 12 months (sick leave, maternity leave, career break)
• Lapsed certification12 monthsNo planned UoF; not deployed under Operation Tornado

Every year, all front-line staff in Bands 3 to 5 must attend use of force training. The framework says the structure and hours allocated to the control and restraint and personal safety elements are determined locally.

If staff have not completed refresher training within 12 months, governors must ensure it is provided as a priority. In the meantime those staff must not take part in any planned use of force or be deployed under Operation Tornado, the national response to serious incidents.

Staff without up-to-date certification may assist in spontaneous incidents where there is an immediate threat to life, limb or establishment security, but where possible they should be replaced by staff holding up-to-date certification.

In shortThe framework sets separate rules for personal safety techniques, restraint, full relocation and each item of equipment, and only accredited staff may carry equipment.

Personal safety techniques

May be used to protect yourself when formal restraint has failed, is unsafe, is unlikely to succeed or cannot be achieved because colleagues are not nearby. A use of force statement is still required.

Physical restraint

Applying techniques based on the principles taught in training to bring an individual under control and restrict their mobility. Staff first on the scene when violence is occurring must assess the threat and may need to summon assistance and wait for colleagues, and must keep trying to de-escalate throughout.

Full relocation

Must use approved techniques as taught, with holds and restraints released as soon as judged safe. The side position is preferable to the prone position, and time in either must be kept to a minimum with constant supervision in person rather than only by CCTV.

Pain-inducing techniques

Permitted but must never be used where a non-painful alternative can safely achieve the same objective; applying a pain source simply to gain compliance is unlikely to meet the threshold.

• The cells used for full relocation must first be risk assessed and certified.
• A planned use of force must be approved and overseen by an incident manager of at least Custodial Manager grade, with a plan, a briefing, a check that staff are appropriately trained and a handheld camera recording the intervention.
• Specific techniques apply to pregnant prisoners.
• Rigid bar handcuffs, batons and PAVA may be carried and used only by staff trained and accredited in them.
• Trained Band 3 to 5 officers in closed adult male prisons must carry batons and PAVA while on duty, and PAVA must not be carried beyond the establishment gate.
• Drawing a baton is itself a 'show of force' that can breach professional standards if done inappropriately.

In shortAfter any use of force the framework sets a tight timetable: record within 24 hours, statement within 72 hours, healthcare within 24 hours.

A statement explains the decision-making process you went through and the alternatives considered. It must be a freely recalled account: staff must not view CCTV or body-worn video before writing it, and must not collude with others. Staff are told to finish outstanding statements before annual leave, detached duty or training.

Staff involved receive a debrief which also considers their immediate wellbeing, and they are given time for the effects of adrenaline to reduce before resuming normal duties.

If an investigation is commissioned, the civil test of reasonableness is applied: whether the member of staff had an honestly and objectively reasonably held belief that force was necessary, and whether they used reasonable force in the circumstances.

If someone repeatedly fails to complete statements, line managers may take action through performance management or formal discipline. Our guide to misconduct outcomes explains where that can lead.

In shortC&R is also a Band 4 specialism and an instructing route, while youth justice workers use a different system and Scotland has its own rules.

HMPPS's career progression page says Band 4 supervising officers can specialise in areas including suicide prevention, control and restraint, first aid, hostage negotiation or drug testing, after completing the probationary period at Band 3. Our Band 4 pay guide and supervising officer role guide cover the step-up.

The Pay Review Body's 2026 report, quoting the POA, lists control and restraint instructors and the Tornado or advanced C&R course among the additional operational roles staff take on. The framework itself refers to advanced-trained C&R staff and local use of force instructors who certify cells and training.

Youth estate

HMPPS says youth justice workers use Managing and Minimising Physical Restraint rather than control and restraint, on a nine-week programme, and the Youth Custody Service has its own framework for use of force and restrictive practices. See our youth custody officer guide.

Scotland

The Scottish Prison Service has its own control and restraint manual and competency requirements, and its probation policy refers to Phase 1 competence being evidenced annually; none of that applies in England and Wales.

Non-officer staff

The framework says personal safety training must be made available to non-prison officers in prisoner-facing roles, uniformed or civilian, with the number and frequency set locally. Our operational support grade guide describes that role.

In shortBuild general fitness, tell people about injuries early, ask for process answers in writing, and do not carry an incident alone.

The physical side of the course is demanding, and it takes place in the first weeks of employment. The best preparation is general conditioning: strength, mobility and cardiovascular fitness, plus time on your feet.

Our fitness training plan and the Fitness Pass Suite are aimed at the entry fitness test, but the same base fitness helps with the course.