# The Prison Rules 1999, Article 51: Offences against discipline


A prisoner is guilty of an offence against discipline if he—
(1) commits any assault;
(1A) commits any assault aggravated by a protected characteristic;
(1B) commits any sexual assault;
(1C) exposes himself, or commits any other indecent or obscene act;
(1D) sexually harasses any person;
(2) detains any person against his will;
(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;
(4) fights with any person;
(5) intentionally endangers the health or personal safety of others or, by his conduct, is reckless whether such health or personal safety is endangered;
(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;
(7) escapes or absconds from prison or from legal custody;
(8) fails to comply with any condition upon which he is temporarily released under rule 9 ...;
(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);
(10) is intoxicated as a consequence of consuming any alcoholic beverage (but subject to rule 52A);
(11) consumes any alcoholic beverage whether or not provided to him by another person (but subject to rule 52A);
(12) has in his possession—
(a) any unauthorised article, or
(b) a greater quantity of any article than he is authorised to have;
(13) sells or delivers to any person any unauthorised article;
(14) sells or, without permission, delivers to any person any article which he is allowed to have only for his own use;
(15) takes improperly any article belonging to another person or to a prison;
(16) intentionally or recklessly sets fire to any part of a prison or any other property, whether or not his own;
(17) destroys or damages any part of a prison or any other property, other than his own;
(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;
(18) absents himself from any place he is required to be or is present at any place where he is not authorised to be;
(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;
(20) uses threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour;
(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;
(21) intentionally fails to work properly or, being required to work, refuses to do so;
(22) disobeys any lawful order;
(23) disobeys or fails to comply with any rule or regulation applying to him;
(23A) fails to comply with any payback punishment;
(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);
(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;
(25) (a) attempts to commit,
(b) incites another prisoner to commit, or
(c) assists another prisoner to commit or to attempt to commit, any of the foregoing offences.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1999/728/article/51 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/prison-rules-1999/article-51
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.