Recommendation 194

HM Government Accepted in Part

Partially accept Disrupting the illicit economy within prisons is critical to maintaining safety and security, and financial intelligence plays a key role in this effort. HMPPS already has a Financial Investigation Unit (FIU) with both investigation and mitigation functions. Prisoners can receive money via the “Send Money to Someone in Prison,” service on GOV.UK, which allows members of the public to make debit card payments. This system includes an ‘intelligence interface’ which allows for the interrogation of all details held regarding every transaction. In addition to this, suspicious payments are highlighted to the mitigation arm of the FIU (Money to Prisoner Compliance Team), who carry out due diligence and either allow or reject the payment before funds enter HMPPS accounts. The team reviews approximately 51,000 transactions annually and rejects around 10% of these (as of November 2025). The FIU also holds powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, which it utilises to investigate the illicit economy in prisons with internal and external stakeholders. Much of its work relates to SOC. The powers it holds allow the FIU to engage with financial institutions through the Financial Investigation Gateway and to obtain production orders as part of its investigations. While we reject the need for a new system beyond these existing arrangements, we remain committed to strengthening our financial intelligence capability and working closely with law enforcement and financial institutions to disrupt SOC linked to prisons. Our approach will continue to evolve in line with emerging threats and best practice.