§ 33. Mr. Charles Irvingasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what purpose is served by prison reception procedure which requires new arrivals to parade in the nude before a prison officer; and if he will take immediate steps to put an end to the practice.
§ Dr. SummerskillPrisoners on reception are required to be searched, to have a hot bath and, in the case of most convicted prisoners, to be examined for scars and distinctive marks on the body. The search is an essential security precaution,758W and the noting of scars and distinctive marks is a necessary element in the full description of the prisoner required both by the Criminal Records Office and by the prison itself. It serves to rebut allegations that the marks or scars were inflicted after reception into prison and affords an additional protection against the possibility of one prisoner impersonating another in order to obtain release. Prison Rules and Standing Orders provide that these requirements shall be carried out, in as seemly a manner as possible and out of sight of other prisoners.