The Prison Governors's Association or PGA was formed in 1987 to represent the interests of the senior Prison Service grades within the United Kingdom Prison Service. It was formally recognised by the Home Office and 1988 and registered as a trade union that same year.
In 1989 Northern Ireland Prison Governors joined the PGA and the union now represents over 1,000 senior prison staff throughout the United Kingdom. It remains generally opposed to the privatisation of prisons.