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Open Prisons

Answer

The following table gives the numbers of prisoners detained for murder at each open prison in England and Wales, as at 30 June 2009 the last date at which data are available:

	Number
Askham Grange	10
Ford	25
Hollesley Bay	20
Kirkham	30
Leyhill	50
North Sea Camp	25
Prescoed	15
Spring Hill	15
Standford Hill	10
Sudbury	60
Sutton Park	5
Total	260

The total number of prisoners convicted of murder and in prison was around 4,900 at the end of June 2009. The figure in the open estate is therefore 5 per cent. of the total. There have been open prisons since 1936 and they are widely accepted as the most effective means of ensuring prisoners are tested in the community before they are released. To release prisoners directly from a closed prison without the resettlement benefits of the open estate would undoubtedly lead to higher levels of post-release reoffending.Prisoners are assessed objectively in a process looking at all aspects of their offending behaviour, actions they have taken to reduce their likelihood of reoffending and the risk they pose to the public. They are placed in the lowest security category consistent with their assessed risk. Only prisoners placed in the lowest security category (D) may be allocated to open conditions. If their behaviour becomes a cause for concern, they can be moved back to more secure conditions.Prisoners convicted of murderer serving life sentences and other indeterminate sentence prisoners will be transferred from closed to open prison conditions only following the acceptance of a Parole Board recommendation to the Secretary of State. Before making such a recommendation, the Parole Board must be satisfied that the case meets the criteria set out in the Directions to the Parole Board under section 32(6) of the Criminal Justice Act 1991, of which the risk of abscond is a central factor.Transfer of any prisoner to open conditions will only take place if continued detention in closed conditions is no longer necessary for the protection of the public. Open conditions allow prisoners to find work, re-establish family ties and reintegrate into the community. All these are essential components for successful resettlement and an important factor in protecting the public.These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. Totals for each prison have been rounded to the nearest five and the grand total to the nearest 10; separately rounded sub-totals may not add to the rounded total.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

503 c931-3W; 306327

Session

2009-10

Related items

Open Prisons
Monday, 22 February 2010
Written questions
House of Commons

Subjects

Homicide Open prisons

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk