Prison officer suspension: pay, length and your rights

In shortSuspension is meant to be neutral: it is not a finding of wrongdoing, normally on pay, and you keep your employment rights.

Suspension is an employer's decision to keep you away from work while a concern is looked into. In a prison, where the allegations may concern security, safety or relationships with prisoners, it is sometimes used to protect prisoners, colleagues or the integrity of the investigation.

General guidance on disciplinary procedures says it is normally on full pay, and that you keep your employment rights while suspended. The Acas Code of Practice says suspension is not disciplinary action in itself.

In shortUnder the 2013 text the commissioning manager must consider alternatives to suspension, so ask which were considered and why they were rejected.

Under the 2013 text of PSI 06/2010, the commissioning manager who sets up an investigation must consider whether the person should remain at work or on normal duties during the investigation. The alternatives named are alternative duties, detached duty or suspension.

This is a choice among options, not an automatic step, so a fair question for your manager is: 'What alternatives to suspension were considered, and why were they rejected?'

In shortSuspension is normally on pay, but how Payment Plus, unsocial hours and other allowances are treated is not publicly verifiable, so ask HR in writing.

General guidance on GOV.UK says that suspension is normally on pay and that employees keep their rights. In the Moorland case the officer was suspended on full pay.

What we cannot verify is how HMPPS treats particular elements of pay during suspension. Those elements often depend on the work you would have done.

• Elements we cannot verify: Payment Plus, unsocial hours allowances, overtime, and any local allowances.
• Ask HR in writing exactly how your pay is calculated and which elements continue.
• Keep copies of payslips.

In shortThe England and Wales review period is not published; the Acas Code says suspension should be as brief as possible and kept under review.

• England and Wales review periodNot publishedAcas: as brief as possible, kept under review
• Scotland (comparison only)Two-week reviewsDoes not apply in England and Wales
• Investigation target (2013 text)28 working daysExtendable in writing

For comparison only, the Scottish Prison Service code says suspension should be exceptional, usually with pay, and reviewed at two-week intervals. That is a Scottish rule and must not be applied to England and Wales. The Northern Ireland code sets other timings.

Without the current HMPPS text, the best approach is to ask: 'When will my suspension be reviewed, by whom, and how will I be told?'

In shortYou may be told not to contact colleagues and breaching that can lead to further action; ask HR for the instructions in a letter and err on the side of caution.

General guidance says you may be told not to talk to colleagues, and that if this stops you defending yourself you can raise it on appeal, while breaching the instruction can lead to further action.

Specific HMPPS wording about contact, building access, social media and outside work during suspension is not publicly verifiable. Ask HR to put the instructions in a letter.

In shortSuspended staff can be temporarily excluded from other HMPPS work, and it is unclear whether suspension must be reported for vetting, so ask HR and your POA rep.

If you were planning a transfer, a second HMPPS contract or an internal move, tell HR and your rep and ask how it is affected.

Vetting status is withdrawn when an exclusion is reported, so an outcome that leads to exclusion has consequences beyond the job; see what happens after dismissal and security clearance withdrawn.

Temporary exclusion

Under the Exclusion from Working for HMPPS Policy Framework, which has applied since 1 January 2025, a temporary exclusion applies to suspended staff pending an investigation so that they cannot get a job elsewhere in HMPPS. That is separate from the Exclusions Register that can follow a dismissal.

Vetting

The security vetting policy asks staff to report changes in circumstances, and its list includes disciplinary procedures and criminal charges. Whether suspension itself must be reported, and how quickly, is not clear from the public text.

In shortPlan for isolation and money worries, ask for a named welfare contact, and avoid anything that could damage your position.

Suspension can bring isolation, loss of routine, money worries and fear about the outcome. Plan for it.

In shortNo formal appeal route against suspension is published for England and Wales, so ask for a review in writing and take advice early.

There is no public record of a formal appeal route against suspension in the England and Wales policy.

If suspension continues for a long time without a clear reason, or you believe it is being used unfairly, speak to your rep or a solicitor. Do not wait until the end of the process to take advice.