HC Deb 02 December 1993 vol 233 c663W
Mrs. Helen Jackson

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many female prisoners in Great Britain have been subjected to forcible strip searching since March 1992.

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 Mrs. Helen Jackson, dated 2 December 1993: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the forcible strip-searching of women prisoners. Prisons are not required to maintain statistics of the number of strip searches carried out. Strip-searching is a routine security measure carried out under the provisions of Rule 39 of the Prisons Rules 1964. The action that would follow a refusal to be searched would depend on the circumstances but in some situations there might be no alternative to the use of force.

Back to
Forward to