Special Secure Units (Hansard, 20 February 1997)

§ Mr. McNamara
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the principal conclusions of the report by Sir Donald Acheson into the effects of the current special secure unit regime on prisoners' health; and if he will place a copy of the report in the Library. [16350]

§ Miss Widdecombe
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 Richard Tilt to Mr. Kevin McNamara, dated 20 February 1997: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the conclusions of the report by Sir Donald Acheson into the effects of the current special secure unit (SSU) regime on prisoners' health. Sir Donald's report contained the following recommendations:

1. Given the short duration of the present regime it is premature to come to a firm conclusion on its impact on prisoners' health. We therefore advise that the general health of prisoners detained in SSUs be reviewed at regular intervals, taking into account their degree of susceptibility to psychological symptoms.

2. A standard set of procedures applicable to all SSUs should be devised, circulated to all parties and enforced to ensure the most expeditious transfer of prisoners requiring emergency treatment to NHS hospitals.

3. SSUs should be provided with the same level of first aid and emergency aid equipment as other wings in the prison. Personnel trained in using the equipment should be on duty in the SSU at all times.

4. Prisoners should be held in SSUs for as short a period possible.
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5. Prisoners should be informed when their cases are coming before the SSU committee and be given the opportunity to submit written representations. When feasible, an indication as to how long prisoners will be required to stay in the SSU system should be given.

6. Sentence planning should be introduced as with other long term prisoners.

7. More opportunities for mental stimulation and physical exercise should be provided, including the provision of meaningful activity.

8. It is the unanimous view of the group that in the interests of health prisoners in the SSUs should have access to open visits with members of their immediate family. We believe that it should be possible for the Prison Service to devise visits which prevent the passage of unauthorised items while at the same time retaining the advantages to the prisoners of physical contact possible only in open visits. Given the logistics involved in conducting secure open visits, it is for the Prison Service to determine their frequency and management.

9. Staff should be encouraged to form relationships with prisoners, yet remain sufficiently detached to maintain objectivity and resist being compromised.

A copy of the report has been placed in the Library.

§ Mr. McNamara
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date a system for three-monthly reviews of the health of individual prisoners in special secure units was introduced; who has been asked to conduct the reviews; how many prisoner shave been examined; and if he will make a statement. [16351]

§ Miss Widdecombe
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 Richard Tilt to Mr. Kevin McNamara, dated 20 February 1997: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the health reviews of prisoners in special secure units. A revised version f the Operating Standards for special secure units was issued on 7 January 1997. The Standards incorporated the amendments made to reflect the recommendations of the Acheson Report, including the requirement for the health of prisoners to be reviewed every three months. The first reviews will take place next month. Reviews will be undertaken by medical officers at each establishment with outside assistance where appropriate.

§ Mr. McNamara
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints about the behaviour of sniffer dogs have been made by visitors to each of the prisons containing special secure units in each of the last four years; how many of these complaints were upheld; and what action was taken as a result. [16352]

§ Miss Widdecombe
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 Richard Tilt to Mr. Kevin McNamara, dated 20 February 1997: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the number of complaints made regarding the behaviour of sniffer dogs, by visitors to prisons containing special secure units. The Prison Service has received two complaints in the last four years. These complaints were fully investigated and no evidence was found to support them, consequently no further action was taken.
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§ Mr. McNamara
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if consultations between prisoners held in special secure units and their legal advisers remain subject to closed visit restrictions. [16353]

§ Miss Widdecombe
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 Richard Tilt to Mr. Kevin McNamara, dated 20 February 1997: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the closed visits policy for category A prisoners. Prison Service policy requires that exceptional risk category A prisoners have closed visits except in exceptional circumstances.

§ Mr. McNamara
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) who made the decision that category A exceptional risk prisoners held in special secure units in 1994 did not have to have movement records in category A books within the discrete area of the special secure unit; and if this decision applied to all prisoners held in the special secure unit; [16545]
(2) what is his Department's definition of the discrete area of a special secure unit; [16546]
(3) if the Whitemoor escape trial prisoners had category A books before their arrival at HM prison Whitemoor; [16547]
(4) where the information, other than movement records, normally held in a category A book, was kept for those involved in the Whitemoor attempted escape; [16548]
(5) if he will place in the Library a sample of a category A book. [16549]

§ Miss Widdecombe
Responsibility for these matters 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 Richard Tilt to Mr. Kevin McNamara, dated 20 February 1997: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Questions relating to the decision that category A prisoners held in the special secure unit (SSU) at Whitemoor prison did not need to have their movements within the discrete area of the SSU recorded in category A books. The governor of Whitemoor prison took the decision not to use category A books in the special secure unit, and this policy was applied to all prisoners in the SSU. The special secure unit is discrete from the rest of the prison as it is a self-contained building within its own secure perimeter inside the main prison. It contains living and cell accommodation, an exercise area, activity area and a visits facility. A category A book contains records of a prisoner's movement from one discrete area of the prison to another, signatures of the members of staff responsible for these movements and a photograph of the prisoner to facilitate identification. As these books were not used at Whitemoor this information was not recorded. Prior to their transfers to Whitemoor prison, three of the Whitemoor escape trial prisoners were subject to category A books. The remaining three were held in special units which did not use such books. I have arranged for a blank copy of a category A book to be placed in the Library. It is the same book as is used for prisoners on the escape list. I attach for your convenience a photocopy of the cover and of one of the pages (all of which are identical).
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