§ 28. Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average length of time now spent by prisoners awaiting trial on remand in custody in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. MellorProvisional figures for 1989 indicate that the average time spent on remand in prison service establishments, prior to the finding of the court, is about 53 days for males and 45 days for females.
§ 51. Ms QuinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his Department has any new proposals for the treatment of remand prisoners.
§ Mr. MellorGovernors are to be given discretion to vary visits to unconvicted prisoners by relatives and friends. This will enable longer, less frequent visits to be allowed instead of brief daily visits, which often have to be limited to 15 minutes because of pressure on the facilities available.
A pilot scheme to reduce routine censorship of the correspondence of unconvicted prisoners to a 5 per cent. sample started on 1 February in three local prisons. We shall soon be assessing the results of the trial and considering whether the change should be extended.
Another pilot scheme is being established at Winchester prison to enable unconvicted prisoners to use cardphones subject to certain safeguards. If the scheme is successful, cardphones will be installed for such prisoners at other prisons and remand centres.