#2026/664New Prison Punishment Rules on Visits and Additional Days
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The rules expand the punishments that prison governors and adjudicators can impose in England and Wales. They double the maximum additional days that can be awarded in some prison discipline cases from 42 to 84 days, and add new punishments that can remove or sharply limit social visits for convicted prisoners. The visit restrictions cannot be used to block visits from a prisoner’s child, or an adult properly accompanying that child. Young people are also protected from these new social visit punishments, and their maximum additional-days punishment remains capped at 42 days.
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Key Changes
- Raises the maximum additional-days punishment in some prison discipline cases from 42 to 84 days
- Allows convicted prisoners to lose social visits for up to 27 days or have them restricted to one visit every 28 days for up to 84 days
- Protects child visits and excludes young people from the new social visit punishments
Obligations
What this law requires
From 2 September 2026, prison governors in England and Wales must not award more than 84 additional days as a punishment under Prison Rule 55(1)(b).
Prison governors may impose forfeiture of social visits only on convicted prisoners and only for a period not exceeding 27 days.
Prison governors may restrict social visits for convicted prisoners to once in every 28-day period only for a period not exceeding 84 days.
Prison governors must not apply forfeiture or restriction of social visits to visits from a prisoner’s child or from any adult appropriately accompanying that child.
Prison adjudicators must not award more than 84 additional days as a punishment under the amended Prison Rule 55A.