{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/prison-rules-1999/article-51",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/prison-rules-1999/article-51.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/1999/728",
  "legislation_title": "The Prison Rules 1999",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/prison-rules-1999",
  "path": "article/51",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "51",
  "heading": "Offences against discipline",
  "text": "A prisoner is guilty of an offence against discipline if he—\n(1) commits any assault;\n(1A) commits any assault aggravated by a protected characteristic;\n(1B) commits any sexual assault;\n(1C) exposes himself, or commits any other indecent or obscene act;\n(1D) sexually harasses any person;\n(2) detains any person against his will;\n(3) denies access to any part of the prison to any officer or any person (other than a prisoner) who is at the prison for the purpose of working there;\n(4) fights with any person;\n(5) intentionally endangers the health or personal safety of others or, by his conduct, is reckless whether such health or personal safety is endangered;\n(6) intentionally obstructs an officer in the execution of his duty, or any person (other than a prisoner) who is at the prison for the purpose of working there, in the performance of his work;\n(7) escapes or absconds from prison or from legal custody;\n(8) fails to comply with any condition upon which he is temporarily released under rule 9 ...;\n(9) is found with any substance in his urine which demonstrates that a controlled drug , pharmacy medicine, prescription only medicine, psychoactive substance or specified substance ... has, whether in prison or while on temporary release under rule 9 ..., been administered to him by himself or by another person (but subject to rule 52);\n(10) is intoxicated as a consequence of consuming any alcoholic beverage (but subject to rule 52A);\n(11) consumes any alcoholic beverage whether or not provided to him by another person (but subject to rule 52A);\n(12) has in his possession—\n(a) any unauthorised article, or\n(b) a greater quantity of any article than he is authorised to have;\n(13) sells or delivers to any person any unauthorised article;\n(14) sells or, without permission, delivers to any person any article which he is allowed to have only for his own use;\n(15) takes improperly any article belonging to another person or to a prison;\n(16) intentionally or recklessly sets fire to any part of a prison or any other property, whether or not his own;\n(17) destroys or damages any part of a prison or any other property, other than his own;\n(17A) causes damage to, or destruction of, any part of a prison or any other property, other than his own, aggravated by a protected characteristic;\n(18) absents himself from any place he is required to be or is present at any place where he is not authorised to be;\n(19) is disrespectful to any officer, or any person (other than a prisoner) who is at the prison for the purpose of working there, or any person visiting a prison;\n(20) uses threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour;\n(20A) uses threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, which demonstrate, or are motivated (wholly or partly) by, hostility to persons based on them sharing a protected characteristic;\n(21) intentionally fails to work properly or, being required to work, refuses to do so;\n(22) disobeys any lawful order;\n(23) disobeys or fails to comply with any rule or regulation applying to him;\n(23A) fails to comply with any payback punishment;\n(24) receives any controlled drug , pharmacy medicine, prescription only medicine, psychoactive substance or specified substance ..., or, without the consent of an officer, any other article, during the course of a visit (not being an interview such as is mentioned in rule 38);\n(24A) displays, attaches or draws on any part of a prison, or on any other property, threatening, abusive or insulting words, drawings, symbols or other material, which demonstrate, or are motivated (wholly or partly) by, hostility to persons based on them sharing a protected characteristic;\n(25) (a) attempts to commit,\n(b) incites another prisoner to commit, or\n(c) assists another prisoner to commit or to attempt to commit, any of the foregoing offences.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Rule 51(1A) substituted (31.5.2024) by The Prison and Young Offender Institution (Adjudication) (Amendment) Rules 2024 (S.I. 2024/212), rules 1(1), 2(3)(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Rule 51(1B)-(1D) inserted (31.5.2024) by The Prison and Young Offender Institution (Adjudication) (Amendment) Rules 2024 (S.I. 2024/212), rules 1(1), 2(3)(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Words in rule 51(8) omitted (25.3.2022) by virtue of The Prison and Young Offender Institution (Coronavirus) (Amendment) (No. 2) Rules 2020 (S.I. 2020/508), rules 1(2), 2(3)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "Rule 51(9) substituted (18.4.2005) by The Prison (Amendment) Rules 2005 (S.I. 2005/869), rule 1(1), Sch. 1 para. 4(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "Words in rule 51(9) inserted (8.12.2021 immediately after 2021 c. 18 comes into force) by The Prison and Young Offender Institution (Amendment) Rules 2021 (S.I. 2021/1279), rules 1(3), 2(4); S.I. 2021/1280, reg. 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F6",
      "text": "Words in rule 51(9) omitted (8.12.2021) by virtue of Prisons (Substance Testing) Act 2021 (c. 18), ss. 2(3)(c), 3(2); S.I. 2021/1280, reg. 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F7",
      "text": "Words in rule 51(9) omitted (25.3.2022) by virtue of The Prison and Young Offender Institution (Coronavirus) (Amendment) (No. 2) Rules 2020 (S.I. 2020/508), rules 1(2), 2(3)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F8",
      "text": "Rule 51(10) substituted (18.4.2005) by The Prison (Amendment) Rules 2005 (S.I. 2005/869), rule 1(1), Sch. 1 para. 4(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F9",
      "text": "Rule 51(11) substituted (18.4.2005) by The Prison (Amendment) Rules 2005 (S.I. 2005/869), rule 1(1), Sch. 1 para. 4(c)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F10",
      "text": "Rule 51(17A) substituted (31.5.2024) by The Prison and Young Offender Institution (Adjudication) (Amendment) Rules 2024 (S.I. 2024/212), rules 1(1), 2(3)(c)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F11",
      "text": "Rule 51(20A) substituted (31.5.2024) by The Prison and Young Offender Institution (Adjudication) (Amendment) Rules 2024 (S.I. 2024/212), rules 1(1), 2(3)(d)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F12",
      "text": "Rule 51(23A) inserted (31.5.2024) by The Prison and Young Offender Institution (Adjudication) (Amendment) Rules 2024 (S.I. 2024/212), rules 1(1), 2(3)(e)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F13",
      "text": "Words in rule 51(24) inserted (8.12.2021 immediately after 2021 c. 18 comes into force) by The Prison and Young Offender Institution (Amendment) Rules 2021 (S.I. 2021/1279), rules 1(3), 2(5); S.I. 2021/1280, reg. 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F14",
      "text": "Words in rule 51(24) omitted (8.12.2021) by virtue of Prisons (Substance Testing) Act 2021 (c. 18), ss. 2(3)(c), 3(2); S.I. 2021/1280, reg. 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F15",
      "text": "Rule 51(24A) substituted (31.5.2024) by The Prison and Young Offender Institution (Adjudication) (Amendment) Rules 2024 (S.I. 2024/212), rules 1(1), 2(3)(f)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1999/728/article/51",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T10:56:09.622939+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}