§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their policy on the sharing of cells by prisoners segregated either for their own protection or for reasons of good order and discipline; and how many prisoners are sharing cells in segregation units, in what prisons. [HL1284]
§ Lord Bassam of BrightonThe policy is that all prisoners segregated in their own interest or for reasons of good order or discipline should be located in single cells. There are no statistics held centrally but a survey of all prisons on 2 March 2000 revealed that there were no prisoners sharing cells in segregation units who have been segregated for reasons of good order or discipline.
On the same date there were 74 prisoners segregated in their own interest sharing cells in segregation units in eight prisons as follows:
Prison Prisoners in shared cells Camphill 4 Gloucester 26 Leeds 14 Lewes 16 Nottingham 4 Pentonville 6 Ranby 2 Reading 2 Total 74