MP COMPLAINS THAT PRISON BEING USED FOR 'OVERSPILL'

The use of open prisons was not mentioned in the package of emergency measures announced by Ministers in Parliament recently, but the new guidance was revealed later in a Parliamentary response to Arundel and South Downs MP Nick Herbert.

The Prisons Minister, David Hanson MP, admitted that "the Prison Service has already implemented measures designed to maximise the use of the whole prison estate.

This includes the transfer of prisoners sentenced to less than 12 months in custody to an open prison (including to HMP Ford) for the final 56 days of their sentence."

A new Prison Service Instruction, entitled "Maximising occupancy in the open estate", extended the number of prisoners eligible for transfer. It ordered prison governors to "put in place arrangements to conduct categorisation reviews of all prisoners serving sentences of between 12 months and four years, at a point three months before the end of sentence, with a view to allocating all suitable prisoners to open conditions to serve the last 56 days of sentence."

Deputy governor at Ford, Glyn Hughes, said it was 'right and proper' for prisoners at the end of their sentence to be transferred to Ford.

He said: "It is quite right and appropriate to send offenders to the open estate, who meet the entrance criteria. All offenders, who are transferred to Ford Open Prison, have been thoroughly risk assessed and deemed appropriate for the open estate."

For full story see West Sussex Gazette July 4