§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes have been made to the criteria for allocating inmates to HMP Leyhill; and if he will make a statement. [136450]
§ Paul Goggins[holding answer 4 November 2003]:Leyhill prison is an open training prison. Sentenced prisoners may be assessed for categorisation and allocation to open conditions either on initial categorisation following sentencing or during their sentence following a review of their security category.
106WInitial categorisation procedures consider: current offence, sentence length, previous offending, previous escapes or absconds and previous breaches of non-custodial disposals. For prisoners indicated for category D, consideration is also given to issues such as: current drug use: any previous breaches of bail; the circumstances of the offence and vulnerability to bullying or coercion.
Prisoners have their security category reviewed at regular intervals. Prisoners must be able to demonstrate that their risk is reduced sufficiently to warrant recategorisation to conditions of lower security. Where category D is indicated, consideration is given to any other issues which might suggest that the prisoner is otherwise unsuitable for open conditions.
Revised initial categorisation and recategorisation forms were introduced in April 2003 and their use is being monitored. However, the procedures detailed above remain unchanged. No changes have been made locally to the acceptance criteria at Leyhill prison.