Abbreviations and acronyms
Working within the prison sector can be incredibly rewarding, but the landscape is full of acronyms, abbreviations and jargon.
Here is a list of some abbreviations that you might come across:
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ACE | Assistant Chief Executive (of Probation) |
| ACO | Assistant Chief Officer (of Probation) |
| ACPO | Association of Chief Police Officers |
| ACRO | ACPO Criminal Records Office |
| AD | Absolute Discharge |
| AMHP | Approved Mental Health Practitioner |
| ARMS | Active Risk Management System |
| AP | Approved Premises |
| ARD | Automatic Release Date |
| ASSET | The Youth Justice Board Assessment Framework |
| BASS | Bail Accommodation and Support Service |
| BCU | Basic Command Unit (Police) |
| BOTUS | Breach of Top Up Supervision (Post Sentence Supervision) |
| BTP | British Transport Police |
| CAADA | Co-ordinated Action Against Domestic Abuse (obsolete - now called SafeLives) |
| CCD | Criminal Casework Directorate |
| CD | Conditional Discharge |
| CJA 1991 | Criminal Justice Act 1991 |
| CJA 2003 | Criminal Justice Act 2003 |
| CJIA 2008 | Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 |
| CJCSA 2000 | Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 |
| CMG | Change Management Group |
| CNC | Civil Nuclear Constabulary |
| COP | Contracted-Out Prison |
| CPA | Care Programme Approach/ Child Protection Agency |
| CPS | Crown Prosecution Service |
| CPPC | Critical Public Protection Cases |
| CRC | Community Rehabilitation Company |
| CRD | Custodial Release Date |
| CSP | Community Safety Partnership |
| CTA 2008 | Counter Terrorism Act 2008 |
| CTSA 2015 | Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015 |
| CTO | Community Treatment Order |
| DPS | Dynamic Purchasing System (Correctly: PE PDS - Prison Education Dynamic Purchasing System) |
| DTC | Duty To Co-operate |
| DTO | Detention and Training Order |
| DVCV Act 2004 | Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act 2004 |
| ECHR | European Convention on Human Rights |
| ECtHR | European Court of Human Rights |
| EM | Electronic Monitoring |
| EPIC | Electronic Probation Information Centre |
| EPP | Extended sentence for Public Protection |
| ERCG | Early Release on Compassionate Grounds |
| ERDG | Equality, Rights and Decency Group |
| FCO | Foreign and Commonwealth Office |
| FLO | (Police) Family Liaison Officer |
| FNO | Foreign National Offender |
| FNP | Foreign National Prisoner |
| FTO | Foreign Travel Order |
| FTR | Fixed Term Recall |
| FTRO | Foreign Travel Restriction Order |
| FTT | First Tier Tribunal (Mental Health) |
| GLD | Government Legal Department |
| GPMS | Government Protective Marking Scheme |
| GPPP | Gibraltar Public Protection Panel |
| HDC | Home Detention Curfew |
| HDCED | Home Detention Curfew Eligibility Date |
| HMIC | Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary |
| HMIP | Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons |
| HO | Home Office |
| HOIE | Home Office Immigration Enforcement |
| HMG | Her Majesties' Government |
| HMPS | Her Majesty's Prison Service |
| HRA | Human Rights Act 1998 |
| IAC | First Tier Immigration and Asylum Chamber |
| ICO | Information Commissioners Office |
| IDVA | Independent Domestic Violence Adviser |
| IOM | Integrated Offender Management |
| IPP | Indeterminate Sentence of Imprisonment for Public Protection |
| IRC | Immigration Removal Centre |
| IRMT | Interdepartmental Risk Management Team |
| IS91 | The document which authorises the detention of an FNP following the end of the custodial period of the sentence. |
| JMAPPA | Jersey Multi Agency Public Protection Agency |
| KPI | Key Performance Indicator |
| LASPO | Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 |
| LED | Licence Expiry Date |
| MALRAP | Multi-Agency Lifer Risk Assessment Planning Meeting |
| MAPPA | Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements |
| MARAC | Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference |
| MAT | Multi-Purpose Ankle Tag |
| MDO | Mentally Disordered Offender |
| MHA 1983 | Mental Health Act 1983 |
| MHCS | Mental Health Casework Section |
| MIG | MAPPA Improvement Group |
| MoJ | Ministry of Justice |
| MOSOVO | (Police) Management of Sex Offenders Violent Offenders |
| NCOP | National College of Policing |
| NFA | No Fixed Abode |
| NOMS | National Offender Management Service |
| NOMIS | National Offender Management Information System (Incorrect term - see P-NOMIS) |
| NPIA | National Policing Improvement Agency (Obselete - see NCOP) |
| NPCC | National Police Chiefs Council |
| NPD | Non Parole Date |
| NPS | National Probation Service |
| NUG | National User Group |
| OASys | Offender Assessment System |
| OGP | Open Government Partnerships |
| OGRS | Offender Group Reconviction Scale |
| OLASS | Offenders' Learning and Skills Service (withdrawn from 2019) |
| OIS | Offender Information System |
| OM | Offender Manager |
| OMA | Offender Management Act 2007 |
| OMU | Offender Management Unit (within Prisons) |
| OMPPG | Offender Management and Public Protection Group |
| ORA | Offender Rehabilitation Act |
| OS | Offender Supervisor |
| ORA | Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 |
| OSCT | Office for Security and Counter Terrorism |
| OVP | OAsys Violence Predictor |
| PEF | Prison Education Framework (from 1 April 2019, replaces OLASS) |
| PPANI | Public Protection Arrangements for Northern Ireland |
| PPO | Prison and Probation Ombudsman |
| PCA 2009 | Policing and Crime Act 2009 |
| PED | Parole Eligibility Date |
| PI | Probation Instruction |
| PLW | Partner Link Workers (attached to DV programme) |
| PNC | Police National Computer |
| PND | Police National Database |
| P-NOMIS | Prison - National Offender Management Information System |
| PO | Probation Officer |
| PPCS | Public Protection Casework Section |
| PPM | Public Protection Manual |
| PPO | Prolific (and other) Priority Offenders |
| PPUD | Public Protection Unit Database |
| PSI | Prison Service Instruction |
| PSNI | Police Service of Northern Ireland |
| PSO | Prison Service Order |
| PSR | Pre-Sentence Report |
| PSS | Post Sentence Supervision |
| PVL | Prison Video Link |
| RANSG | Responsible Authority National Steering Group |
| RC | Responsible Clinician |
| RF | Radio Frequency |
| RM2000 | Risk Matrix 2000 |
| RMP | Risk Management Plan / Royal Military Police |
| RO | Responsible Officer |
| RoR | Risk of Reoffending |
| RoSH | Risk of Serious Harm |
| RoTL | Release On Temporary Licence |
| RSHO | Risk of Sexual Harm Order (Obselete - see SOPO) |
| RSO | Registered Sexual Offender |
| RUG | Regional User Group |
| SARA | Spousal Assault Risk Assessment |
| SARN | Structured Assessment of Risk and Need |
| SCPO | Serious Crime Prevention Order |
| SCR | Serious Case Review |
| SED | Sentence End Date |
| SFO | Serious Further Offence |
| SHPO | Sexual Harm Prevention Order |
| SLED | Sentence and Licence End Date |
| SMB | Strategic Management Board |
| SO | Sex Offender |
| SO | Supervising Officer |
| SOA 2003 | Sexual Offences Act 2003 |
| SOPO | Sexual Offences Prevention Order |
| SPO | Senior Probation Officer |
| SPOC | Single Point Of Contact |
| SRO | Sexual Risk order |
| TACT | Terrorism Act 2000 |
| T-Sol | Treasury Solicitors (Obselete - see GLD) |
| TUS | Top Up Supervision (Post Sentence Supervision) |
| TUSED | Top Up Supervision End Date (Post Sentence Supervision) |
| UAL | Unlawfully at Large |
| UKBA | UK Border Agency (Obselete - see HOIE) |
| VCS | Victim Contact Scheme |
| VLO | Victim Liaison Officer |
| VOO | Violent Offender Order |
| WSW | Womens Safety Worker (attached to DV programme) |
| YJB | Youth Justice Board |
| YO | Young Offender |
| YOI | Young Offender Institution |
| YOT | Youth Offending Team |