§ Ms LynneTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if prisoners from Buckley Hall prison are eligible for unaccompanied visits to Rochdale as a reward for good behaviour; and if he will make a statement. [18117]
§ Miss WiddecombeResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from A. J. Pearson to Ms Liz Lynne, dated 29 February 1996:
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about the eligibility of prisoners at Buckley Hall prison to have unaccompanied visits to Rochdale as a reward for good behaviour.The Prison Service introduced a national framework of incentives and earned privileges for prisoners in July 1995, with most prisons commencing their own local scheme before the end of December. This policy reflects Ministers' and the Prison Service's commitment to a system of structured incentives based on prisoners' behaviour and willingness to cooperate. It seeks to ensure prisoners earn privileges by responsible behaviour and participation in hard work and other constructive activity.Buckley Hall plan to extend their three-tier incentives and earned privilege scheme by introducing, by the end of March, the key earnable privilege of unaccompanied community visits. Those eligible to apply will be prisoners in security category D who have been retained for outside work parties. Each applicant will be subjected to a full risk assessment before any decision is taken on the granting of temporary release.