§ Mr. David Steelasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the circumstances surrounding the solitary confinement of Mr. Vernon Jones, an American citizen, in a Glasgow gaol.
§ Mr. William RossVernon Jones, a seaman in the United States Navy, appeared on petition at Dunoon sheriff court on Monday 7th January on a charge of mobbing and rioting. No application for bail was made during the hearing, and Jones was remanded in custody. After the hearing, however, he approached the procurator fiscal to ask whether remand on bail would be possible but was informed that the Crown would oppose it.
At 3.20 p.m. on 7th January, Jones arrived at Barlinnie prison. At about 4.30 p.m., the procurator fiscal at Dunoon telephoned the prison authorities to in 390W form them that in his opinion Jones would attempt to escape if given any opportunity. In support of this opinion, he referred to the serious nature of the present charge against Jones, to the fact that there were against him outstanding charges in Alabama for assault and robbery, and to his anger that he had been remanded in custody.
On consideration of this information from the procurator fiscal, the prison authorities decided that the security risk which Jones represented required that he should be placed under strict escape precautions. This meant that each night Jones's clothing except pyjamas and slippers was removed from his cell and that the light in his cell was kept on during the hours of darkness. Except for these additional precautions, Jones was treated in exactly the same as any other untried prisoner. Jones exercised along with other prisoners and was in their company at other times such as meal times and when collecting books from the prison hall library. The suggestion which was made in court that he was kept in solitary confinement was incorrect.
It has been suggested that Jones was specially treated on reception at the request either of the prison authorities in the State of Alabama or the United States naval authorities. I should like to state categorically that neither the prison authorities of the State of Alabama nor the United States naval authorities made any such representations or requests. The decision to place Jones under strict escape precautions was taken by the prison authorities on the basis of the information supplied to them by the procurator fiscal.
On 6th March, the procurator fiscal again telephoned Barlinnie prison to say that the United States naval authorities had brought to his attention the fact that the light in Jones's cell was being kept on all night, and had asked whether this was necessary. After discussion with the procurator fiscal, the assistant governor in charge of the hall in which Jones was being held agreed that the precautions under which Jones was being held should be modified and his cell light no longer kept on at night.
At Glasgow High Court on 3rd April, Jones was sentenced to three years' detention in a young offenders institution for his part in the mobbing and rioting incident at Dunoon in October of last year. 391W I understand that the charges against Jones in Alabama are not to be proceeded with.