Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy
The Prison Service is committed to reducing its impact on the environment by continuously improving the environmental performance of its operations and its estate.
Sustainable Development in the Prison Service
In September 2002, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs issued the Government's Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate, which set out the approach to addressing the key sustainable development impacts of departments and agencies. In response, in September 2003, the Prison Service replaced its greening operations policy with a sustainable development policy and strategy, under a new Prison Service Instruction, PSI 41/2003 .
The Sustainable Development Working Group was set up to oversee the implementation of the policy and strategy. It meets quarterly and members include senior representatives from all relevant areas of the Service. The group is chaired by the Director of Finance.
Major Achievements
Current projects in sustainable development include a programme of audits and setting up of waste management units at prisons. Waste management units bring many benefits including reduced waste and cost savings. A number of prisons have been certified to environmental management system standard ISO14001. An environment manual is being developed which will allow environmental management systems to be more easily introduced into prisons. The manual is on trial in the North West Area.
A national Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) has been introduced which meets the Director General's commitment to biodiversity for the prison estate and which addresses central Government targets for protecting biodiversity. The BAP also meets the requirements of the UK-wide
Biodiversity Action Plan .
Over the past five years there has been a campaign to raise staff awareness of these issues, including the publication of an annual sustainable development report, newsletters, posters, leaflets and conferences. The Prison Service is a substantial user of energy and has in place a programme to improve energy efficiency in accordance with Government targets and commitments.
Planned work also includes undertaking sustainable development reviews of major construction projects.
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