§ Mr. Soleyasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many letters and visits are allowed to prisoners; and whether he will review current arrangements.
§ Mr. MellorAll convicted inmates are entitled to one letter on reception and after that to one letter a week on which postage is paid at public expense. In addition, since last April a convicted inmate in open establishments may send and receive as many letters paid for from his earnings as he wishes. Other convicted inmates are allowed at least one additional letter a week on which postage is paid from prison earnings. There are no restrictions on the number of letters an unconvicted prisoner may send and receive: he may send at public expense any letter necessary to his defence or on any matter connected with his case and two letters a week to relatives or friends, the postage on any other letters being met from his earnings or private cash.
Adult convicted prisoners are entitled to a visit on reception and every four weeks thereafter, and convicted young offenders to a visit on reception and every two weeks thereafter. Unconvicted prisoners are normally allowed daily visits (except on Sunday), but for operational reasons these arrangements may need to be altered at particular establishments. In such cases the length of visits is increased, wherever possible, to compensate for their reduced frequency.
Governors are encouraged to allow letters and visits above the minimum entitlement wherever practicable. There are no present plans to review the numbers of visits to which an inmate is entitled. The removal last April of the restrictions on the number of letters which inmates in open establishments may send and receive was one element in the start we had made on implementing the recommendations of the control review committee for developing incentives in category C and D establishments.