§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the differences in prison regime for prisoners in each class of risk assessment within the Category A band separately indicating the conditions for those prisoners presently held in HMP Belmarsh who continue to occupy cells previously designated as a special secure unit. [20334]
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§ Ms QuinCategory A prisoners are assigned to one of three escape risk classifications: standard risk, high risk and exceptional risk.
It is not possible to give a definitive account of prisoner regime by escape category. This will vary with the facilities available within each prison and in particular tends to be significantly different between remand prisons, such as Belmarsh, and dispersal prisons, such as Whitemoor, which hold convicted Category A prisoners.
Within dispersal prisons, additional restrictions will apply to exceptional risk prisoners who are held apart from other prisoners within a Special Secure Unit and who are subject to closed visits. In general terms, high risk prisoners within dispersal prisons have a similar regime to standard risk prisoners with a few additional constraints such as searching, the conduct of visits, allocation to activities, and vetting of letters and telephone calls.
Because of the additional complexities of a large remand prison such as Belmarsh, and in particular the greatly increased levels of prisoner movement with the associated increased risks of escape, high risk prisoners at Belmarsh are held apart from the rest of the prison population within the High Secure Unit (HSU). The regime within the HSU is similar to that within the rest of the prison with the exception that prisoners do not have access to other parts of the prison and all activities such as visits, exercise and gymnasium are conducted within purpose-built facilities in the HSU building itself.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances family visits for remand prisoners previously held in the Special Secure Unit at HMP Belmarsh and currently on trial is permitted in respect of the use of(a) the visitors' children's room and (b) children's books, crayons or toys. [20335]
§ Ms QuinThere is no specific children's room for visitors to those prisoners previously held in the Belmarsh Special Secure Unit. A box of toys and games is available for the use of visiting children.