Mr. Howarthasked the Secretary of State for Defence what administrative changes he has recently made in the treatment of soldiers under sentence.
§ Mr. MulleyRecently, the treatment of soldiers sentenced to terms of imprisonment and detention has been under review. It has been decided that soldiers sentenced by courts martial to any term of imprisonment will serve their sentences in a civil prison. In the past, only those who have been sentenced to more than two years' imprisonment have served their sentences in a civil prison.
Soldiers sentenced to detention, who are to be retained in the Army, will continue to serve their sentences at the Military Corrective Training Centre, Colchester, or in similar establishments overseas. Training in these establishments, 247W which is aimed at developing self-respect and improving military qualities and skills, has been highly successful in producing pod soldiers.
Men who have been sentenced to detention, but who are to be discharged from the Army, will no longer be required to serve their sentences in an establishment similar to a civil prison. They will be held in a special wing of the Military Corrective Training Centre, at Colchester, segregated from the other soldiers under sentence, although they will be treated on similar lines. Their training, however, will include instruction in general subjects, rather than those which have a strictly military application.
When these changes come into force, probably later this year, the Military Prison and Detention Barracks at Shepton Mallet will be closed.