§ Mr. WoolasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will instruct the Prison Service authorities to move Stuart Howarth (Et 7916) to an open prison: and what representations he has received concerning the appropriateness of the prison location where he is serving his sentence. [157229]
§ Mr. Boateng:No. The categorisation and allocation of prisoners is a matter for the Director General of the Prison Service. The Prison Service carries out the categorisation of prisoners according to a rigorous and objective assessment of the risk they present, and in accordance with established guidelines. These assessments are best carried out by those on the ground, but I can say that under the Prison Service Order on categorisation and allocation, a prisoner sentenced to more than 12 months for an offence of violence would not normally be regarded as suitable for category D (open conditions) on initial categorisation.
Mr. Howarth was sentenced on 27 March 2001, and following receipt of the necessary reports from the police and probation services and others, he will be categorised according to the likelihood that he will seek to escape and the risk that he would pose should he do so. Mr. Howarth's custodial behaviour and the risk he poses to control will also be taken into consideration.
Mr. Howarth's allocation to a prison establishment will depend on his security category, the need to make the best possible use of available spaces in training prisons, and his particular needs. I have not received any representations concerning the appropriateness of his current prison location. Furthermore, I understand from the governor of Manchester prison that Mr. Howarth has not made any representations locally about his location.