§ Mr. Alex CarlileTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the status of a red book prisoner in terms of parole and review procedures; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CopeIn Northern Ireland, top risk (commonly known as "red book") prisoners are those who are considered to have the greatest escape potential and who, if at large, would pose the greatest threat to society and the security forces.
There is no system of parole in Northern Ireland but there is provision for compassionate home leave, pre-release home leave and Christmas and summer home leave. All prisoners, including those in the top risk category, are eligible to apply for compassionate home leave in the event of the death or critical illness of a member of the immediate family; each case is considered on its merits. Applications from all fixed-term prisoners, including those in the top risk category, for pre-release home leave or Christmas home leave are also considered on their merits. Top risk prisoners were, however, excluded from the 1989 Christmas home leave scheme for indeterminate sentence prisoners who had served 13 years in custody because they had not made satisfactory progress towards release.
The cases of all indeterminate sentence prisoners are reviewed at regular stages throughout sentence. At each review all the relevant factors pertaining to the prisoner, including his security categorisation, are taken into account in deciding whether to recommend release or to set the date of the next review.
All top risk prisoners have their cases reviewed regularly to see if they can be downgraded to a lower security category.