Open Prisons (Hansard, 31 October 1996)

§ Mr. French
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria are applied to assess the suitability of prisoners in an open prison for work carried out in the community as part of their rehabilitation. [1083]

§ Miss Widdecombe
Prisoners who are held in open prisoners are thoroughly assessed to ensure that they do not pose a risk to the public. Open prisons will allocate prisoners to work in the local community only when this is considered to be of benefit to both the community and to the prisoner. Particular attention is always paid to the offences committed by the prisoner and to his or her background as part of this process. The overriding concern in such allocation is always the safety of the public; if such concern exists, the prisoner does not undertake work in the community, and may be transferred to a closed and more secure prison.

§ Mr. French
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures exist to assess a prisoner's suitability for transfer to an open prison; who is responsible for their implementation; and what assessment he has made of their effectiveness. [1084]

§ Miss Widdecombe
Determinate sentence prisoners must be reallocated to the lowest security category before their transfer from a closed to an open prison. This involves an assessment of any risk posed to the public by the prisoner, together with the risk of escape or abscond. Such reallocation and transfer will take place only if the staff of the closed prison are satisfied that the prisoner is not a risk to the public and is not likely to escape or abscond. The prisoner will undergo a further risk assessment at the open prison to ensure that he or she is suitable for open conditions.
202W
The governors of the closed prisons transferring prisoners to open prisons and the governors of the open prisons themselves are responsible for the implementation of these procedures.
Life sentence prisoners who are considered suitable for open conditions require both a favourable recommendation from the Parole Board and the authority of a Minister, who considers detailed reports on each individual case before making a decision.
The allocation of all prisoners to open conditions is kept under continual review.