Catalogue description Prison Commission and Home Office Prison Department: Memoranda to Establishments

Initially issued by the Prison Commission as 'Circulars' and 'Memoranda', these two series were combined from January 1959 as 'Circular Instructions'. Although responsibility for penal establishments was transferred to the Home Secretary on 1 April 1963 by the Prison Commissioners Dissolution Order SI 1963/597, 'Circular Instructions' continued to be issued thereafter, the issuing authority having become the Prison Department of the Home Office. From April 1963 prison service establishments also received the Home Office Notices that are circulated to all members of staff and/or heads of divisions in that department: Home Office Notices are in HO 333

The documents in this series have been obtained from a number of sources within the prison service, in order to compile a comprehensive set. In many pieces, addenda of later date have been attached to the parent papers to which they refer.