Open and Resettlement Prisons (Hansard, 22 June 1999)

§ Lord Williams of Mostyn

Open and resettlement prisons remain a cost-effective way to prepare prisoners for release. Following a review of open prisons in 1996 it was recommended that open establishments should remain multi-functional— that is, the regimes should prepare both long and short-term prisoners for release.

There are no plans currently to establish another resettlement prison. But the three in existence remain an important part of the prison estate. Like all establishments, their role will continue to be scrutinised in order to ensure that they continue to be effective and provide value for money.