Written question asked by David TC Davies (Conservative) on Wednesday, 5 March 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 11 March 2008. It was answered by Lord Hanson of Flint (Labour) on Tuesday, 11 March 2008 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Open Prisons

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will instigate a review of the effectiveness of open prisons in ensuring prisoners do not abscond.

Answer: No. All those located in open conditions have been risk assessed and categorised as being of low risk to the public. Time spent in open prisons affords prisoners the opportunity to find work, re-establish family ties, reintegrate into the community and ensure housing needs are met. For long-term prisoners, these are essential components for successful resettlement and an important factor in protecting the public.The number of absconds is at its lowest level since centralised reporting of this type of incident began in 1995. Since then, the number of absconds has fallen steadily across most years. In the last two years, the number of absconds recorded has been just over half the levels recorded in 1997.

Secondary information