§ 22 Lieut.-Colonel Liptonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what grounds a prisoner is not granted remission of sentence in respect of periods spent in hospital as a certified mental patient before his sentence expires.
§ Sir D. Maxwell FyfeA prisoner returning to prison from a mental hospital to which he was sent on being certified insane is normally granted remission in respect of the period spent in the hospital unless his conduct has been such as to suggest the propriety of another course, for example, if it appears that his insanity was feigned.
§ Lieut.-Colonel LiptonDoes the Home Secretary recall the case at Wandsworth, which I brought to his notice a week or two ago, in which a man was certified as a mental patient while he was serving his sentence and was sent to Caine Hill and denied remission of sentence in respect of that period? Is it not unfair that a prisoner who becomes a mental case should be denied the privilege or entitlement that is normally given to a man who falls sick during the period of his sentence?
§ Sir D. Maxwell FyfeI have stated the general practice. I will examine the case to which the hon. and gallant Member has referred and will write to him about it.