Written question asked by Lord Herbert of South Downs (Conservative) on Thursday, 15 May 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 19 May 2008. It was answered by Lord Hanson of Flint (Labour) on Thursday, 22 May 2008 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Open Prisons: Prisoners Release

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners in open jails in England and Wales had been deemed not suitable for release on temporary licence at the most recent date for which figures are available.

Answer: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell), on 7 March 2008, Official Report, column 2834W.Release on temporary licence is the mechanism that enables prisoners to participate in necessary activities, outside of the prison establishment, that directly contribute to their resettlement into the community and their development of a purposeful law abiding life. The eligibility requirements are set out in Prison Service Order 6300 Release on Temporary Licence, which is available on the Prison Service website. Eligible prisoners must pass a rigorous risk assessment before temporary release is granted.Information on those considered unsuitable for release under temporary licence is not centrally available, would require manual inspection of individual prisoners' records and could not be provided without disproportionate cost.

Secondary information