Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Sexual Offenders: Transfers to Open Prisons

Tuesday 3 November 2020 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Risk assessments for transferring people convicted of sexual offences to open prisons are conducted by the prison service.
  • Elizabeth, a victim of a grooming gang, was not consulted about the transfer of the perpetrator to open conditions.
  • The minister has apologised for the lack of consultation with Elizabeth before the perpetrator's referral to open conditions.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Sarah Champion Lab Rotherham
Justice & Courts
Context

A constituent named Elizabeth was abused by a grooming gang and successfully secured convictions against the perpetrators. One perpetrator served nine years and then moved to an open prison without consultation with her or the police.

Question

What risk assessments are conducted prior to the transfer of people convicted of sexual offences to open prisons? I ask this on behalf of Elizabeth, who was abused by a grooming gang for a decade. After securing convictions including one individual serving nine years, she discovered he moved to an open prison without her or police consultation.

Answer from Lucy Frazer

I am very grateful for raising this case. The service has apologised for not contacting Elizabeth before referring the perpetrator to open conditions. A victim liaison officer informed the offender manager about conditions that should be imposed if there is any release on temporary licence. I am happy to continue discussing this case.

Partly answered

Not addressed: How effective the release on temporary leave system is

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Q2 Sarah Champion Lab Rotherham
Justice & Courts
Context

A constituent named Elizabeth was abused by a grooming gang and successfully secured convictions against the perpetrators. One perpetrator served nine years and then moved to an open prison without consultation with her or the police.

Question

Neither Elizabeth nor the police were consulted about this move, raising questions about whether only prison conduct contributes to risk assessments. More worryingly, he is potentially up for weekend release, although that won't happen due to covid restrictions. How effective does the Minister think the temporary release system is?

Answer from Lucy Frazer

I am very grateful for raising this case. The service has apologised to Elizabeth's constituent, and I apologise for not contacting her before the referral to open conditions. A victim liaison officer informed the offender manager about any release on temporary licence conditions that should be imposed.

Partly answered

Not addressed: How effective the release on temporary leave system is

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)