Prisoners' Transfers: Open Prisons

(asked on 17th April 2023) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many parole board recommendations for the transfer of prisoners to open conditions were (1) accepted, and (2) rejected, by the Secretary of State for Justice between 1 January and 31 March this year.


Answered by
Lord Bellamy Portrait
Lord Bellamy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This question was answered on 27th April 2023

The Secretary of State (or an official with delegated responsibility) will accept a recommendation from the Parole Board to approve an indeterminate sentenced prisoner (ISP) for open conditions only where all criteria of the HM Prison and Probation Service Policy Framework have been met. The Policy Framework and associated guidance were updated in June 2022. Under the terms of the Policy, the Secretary of State (or an official with delegated responsibility) will accept a recommendation from the Parole Board (approve an ISP for open conditions) only where:

  • the prisoner is assessed as low risk of abscond; and
  • a period in open conditions is considered essential to inform future decisions about release and to prepare for possible release on licence into the community; and
  • a transfer to open conditions would not undermine public confidence in the Criminal Justice System.

Between 1 January and 31 March 2023, the Secretary of State for Justice accepted 14 and rejected 76 recommendations by the Parole Board to transfer an ISP to open conditions.

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