HC Deb 02 December 1993 vol 233 cc663-4W
Mr. Redmond

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who decides whether a convicted prisoner is placed in an open or closed prison.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

letter from D. Lewis to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 2 December 1993; The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about who decides whether a convicted prisoner is placed in an open or closed prison. Decisions about security category, including whether or not to place a prisoner in open conditions, are taken by the governor holding the prisoner except in the case of category A prisoners and transfer of life sentence prisoners to open conditions. Decisions about category A prisoners are made at Prison Service headquarters. Life sentence prisoners may be moved to open prisons as part of their pre-discharge preparation. The decision to make a recommendation for such a transfer is taken at Prison Service headquarters and then referred for decision to Ministers. The criteria and procedures to be used in reaching decisions are set out in Circular Instructions 7/1988 and 2/1991, copies of which I recently sent to you and which are also available in the House of Commons Library.

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