§ Mr. Douglas-Mannasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedure exists for the categorisation and decategorisation of Category A prisoners; and what effect such categorisation has.
§ Mr. CarlislePrisoners charged with certain types of offence are considered for category "A" when first received into custody. Provisional placements in the category are reviewed after sentence and again after assessment of the prisoner at a long-term allocation centre. The status of a prisoner remaining in the category after allocation is regularly reviewed, at least once a year and often more frequently.
An "A" categorisation identifies a prisoner whose escape would be highly 161W dangerous to the public or the police or the security of the State. It enables appropriate safeguards to be applied.