§ Mr. Watkinsonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department who decides the category into which a prisoner is placed; and by what criteria such decisions are made.
§ Dr. SummerskillThe normal procedure is that all prisoners sentenced to five years or more, and all first offenders sentenced to more than four years, are sent for assessment and classification to regional allocation centres at certain local prisons, with the final decision on the security classification resting with the Regional Director, except for prisoners serving 10 years and over where the decision has to be confirmed by Prison Department Headquarters. Prisoners with a previous conviction serving less164W than five years, and first offenders serving four years or less, go through a shorter classification process at the local prison where they are held and the decision is taken by the governor. The decision to place a prisoner in category A, the highest security category, is in all cases taken by Prison Department Headquarters.
The four security categories are defined as follows: Category A, a prisoner whose escape would be highly dangerous to the public or to the security of the State; Category B, a prisoner for whom the very highest conditions of security are not necessary but for whom escape must be made very difficult; Category C, a prisoner who cannot be trusted in open conditions but who does not have the ability or the resources to make a determined escape attempt; and Category D, those who can reasonably be trusted to serve their sentences in open conditions.
§ Mr. Watkinsonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the number of prisoners present in Her Majesty's by category.
§ Dr. SummerskillAdult male prisoners servings sentences in England and Wales on 17th January 1975 were categorised as follows:
Category A 319 Category B 8,891 Category C 7,774 Category D 3,893 Category not yet recorded 1,493