Special Secure Units (Hansard, 16 January 1992)

§ Mr. Livingstone
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long on average prisoners spend in the special secure units; what is the longest period a prisoner has spent in a special secure unit; and what was the offence for which he was sentenced.

§ Mrs. Rumbold
A figure for the average time spent by prisoners in special secure units is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The longest period a prisoner has spent in special security units is 18½ years, following conviction on charges of murder and possession of firearms with intent.

§ Mr. Livingstone
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons prisoners are confined in special secure units; and for what offences they have been sentenced.

§ Mrs. Rumbold
The aim of the special security units is to provide a national resource to accommodate the prisoners assessed as category A—exceptional risk—that is, as posing the greatest risks both to the public and of escape, and therefore requiring the very highest conditions of security. Offences for which prisoners currently held in these units have been convicted include armed robbery, murder, drug importation and offences associated with terrorism.

§ Mr. Livingstone
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were being held in special secure units in England and Wales on 31 December 1991.

§ Mrs. Rumbold
Twenty-two.

§ Mr. Livingstone
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the effect, in terms of their prison career, of persons being confined in a special secure unit.

§ Mrs. Rumbold
Prisoners in special security units do not have access to prison workshops, but in other respects the regime available to them is comparable to that of other convicted category A prisoners, and includes education, hobbies, exercise, recreation, and association with other prisoners in the unit throughout most of the day.
Categorisation is kept constantly under review, and any prisoner no longer assessed as category A—exceptional risk—is transferred to some other appropriate part of the prison estate.