§ Mr. MossTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the breakdown of category A prisoners in England and Wales under the groupings(a) convicted Irish Republican Army terrorists, (b) international terrorists, (c) murderers, (d) armed robbers, (e) rapists, (f) drug dealers, and (g) others (i) in total and (ii) listed by each prison.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggThe information readily available centrally is given in the following table. Further figures could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
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Convicted adult male prisoners in category A in prisons in England and Wales on 31 December 1988: by type of offender IRA terrorists Other terrorists Sex offenders including some murderers Armed robbers and drugs dealers Others (mainly murderers) Totals Albany 7 5 27 17 7 63 Birmingham — — — 2 2 4 Bristol — — — — 2 2 Chelmsford — — — — 1 1 Coldingley — — — — 1 1 Frankland 7 4 11 22 15 59 Full Sutton 4 1 7 11 8 31 Gartree 9 4 3 19 15 50 Hull — — 1 — 3 4 Leeds — — 2 — 1 3 Leicester 3 — 2 4 1 10 Lincoln — — 2 — 3 5 Liverpool — — 1 1 1 3 Long Lartin 7 5 16 22 19 69 Manchester — — 1 1 2 4 Parkhurst 7 2 2 14 17 42 Wakefield — 2 49 1 18 70 Wandsworth — — 2 18 2 22 Winchester — — — — 1 1 Wormwood Scrubs 2 — 13 3 8 26 Totals 46 23 139 135 127 470
§ Mr. MossTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) successful escapes and (b) unsuccessful escape attempts there have been from prisons in England and Wales by category A prisoners in each of the last 10 years.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggDuring this period, there have been two incidents involving escapes from within prison establishments. In 1980, three unconvicted prisoners who had been provisionally placed in category A escaped from Brixton prison. In 1987, one provisional and one confirmed category A prisoner escaped from Gartree prison in a helicopter. Detailed inquiries were conducted following both incidents and measures were taken to prevent a similar escape in the future.
The other information is not available in the form requested by my hon. Friend. Maximum security prisons have a high level of physical security designed to deter and prevent either an assisted or an unassisted escape attempt. Security measures are constantly under review.
§ Mr. LivingstoneTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his policy towards(a) parole and (b) rehabilitation for category A prisoners.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggNo prisoner, whatever his security category, is prevented from having his case considered for release on parole. However since one of the main concerns in considering suitability for parole is the safety of the
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Population1 of adult male sentenced prisoners in prisons and remand centres in England and Wales on 31 December 1988: by security category and prison Prison or remand centre (County) A B C D Not recorded Total population Remand centres Latchmere House (London) — — — — 27 27 Risley (Cheshire) — 1 30 1 35 67 Local prisons Ashford (Surrey) — — 4 1 16 21 Bedford (Bedford) — 3 47 21 23 94 Birmingham (West Midlands) 4 58 297 82 88 529 Bristol (Avon) 2 104 133 30 110 379 Brixton (London) — 3 8 2 113 126 Canterbury (Kent) — 5 33 21 38 97 public, it is unlikely that a prisoner whilst in category A—the highest security category—would be released on licence.
Category A prisoners are offered as full and constructive a regime as is consistent with the requirements of security and there are many opportunities for them to improve, for example, work and social skins and education. The aim, as with all prisoners, is to help them lead law-abiding and useful lives in custody and after release.
§ Mr. LivingstoneTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether category A prisoners are provided with assistance in drawing up their resettlement plans.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggYes. Assistance is freely available on request to all prisoners, regardless of security category, from the probation service and welfare organisations.