§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether all home visits for life sentence prisoners in Category C (or other prisons) have been stopped; and if so, why.
§ Baroness BlatchResponsibility 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 to Lord Hylton from the Director General of the Prison Service, Mr. Derek Lewis:
Lady Blatch has asked me to reply to your recent Question about home visits for life sentence prisoners.
Home visits for life sentence prisoners in category C or any other prisons have not been stopped, although, under the new scheme of release on temporary licence which came into effect on 25 April, home visits have been restricted.
Life sentence prisoners will, however, continue to become eligible to be considered for the grant of compassionate licence or resettlement licence provided that they satisfy the enhanced risk assessment and the eligibility criteria set out in Prison Service Instruction to Governors 36/1995, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.
48WAA life sentenced prisoner may also be granted a home visit under escort for compelling compassionate reasons where the governor is satisfied that this is justified. The governor must also be satisfied that the arrangements for security in escorting the prisoner are adequate for the security category in which the prisoner has been placed.