HC Deb 31 January 1994 vol 236 cc494-5W
Mr. Hunter

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria he uses when deciding which prisoners may be granted Christmas leave.

Sir John Wheeler

Under the terms of the 1993 Christmas home leave scheme applications were considered from the following prisoners, other than those in the top risk category:

  1. (i) all prisoners who would have served at least 11 years of their sentence by 23 December 1993;
  2. (ii) all indeterminate sentence prisoners whose cases were at consultation with the judiciary, or who had been given provisional release dates;
  3. (iii) "star" class determinate sentence prisoners—that is those serving their first sentence or who are particularly well behaved—committed under sentence on or before 31 October 1993 and who were in the last year of their sentences at 31 December 1993;
  4. (iv) "ordinary" class determinate sentence prisoners—that is, those on second or subsequent sentences—who were sentenced to 10 years or more and who were in the last year of their sentences at 31 December 1993;
  5. (v) inmates in the young offenders centre in both "star" and "ordinary" class committed under sentence on or before 31 October 1993 and who were in the last year of their sentences at 31 December 1993.

A decision on each case was reached after consideration of the Governor's recommendation, the prisoner's/ inmate's attitude and behaviour while in prison/YOC and relevant security issues.