Prisoners' Release: Universal Credit

Question

There are no specific regulations that govern the payment of Universal Credit (UC) to a prisoner upon release. They are treated like every other customer when they make a claim to UC. If they need urgent financial assistance when they have completed their online UC claim they can ask for a new claim advance payment which is offered to all new customers. There are provisions (Claims and Payments Regulations 2013) that allow prisoners to start to prepare their UC claim before their release, however the date of entitlement starts on the release date, and first payment is usually made around five weeks after the claim is made.