Pubdate: Fri, 15 Mar 2002
Source: Evening Star, The (UK)
Copyright: 2002sEastern Counties Newspapers Group Ltd
Contact:  http://www.eveningstar.co.uk/Content/news/news_home.asp
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1695

PRISON WARDEN CLAIMS OVERCROWDING

A SENIOR prison officer claims dangerous offenders are being transferred to 
low-security prisons too soon into their sentences in an attempt to ease 
overcrowding problems.

Neil Mason, national executive committee member of the Prison Officers' 
Association, was speaking four days after murderer Lawrence Hughes 
absconded from Hollesley Bay Prison, near Woodbridge.

Mr Mason said pressure for places in closed establishments could result in 
offenders being reclassified from Grade C to Grade D - when they are 
considered suitable for open prison accommodation - too early. He said 
nationally prisons were being forced to allocate two per cent more 
prisoners - two new prisons worth of offenders.

He said: "There are now 70,000 prisoners nationwide which is an all time 
high and they have not got the staff to look after the recent increase in 
population so they are having to overcrowd all prisons which has a knock-on 
effect on an open establishment.

"My concern is that because of the pressure of places in closed 
establishments they are re-categorising prisoners too soon."

Stuart Robinson, prison governor at Hollesley Bay Prison, said there was no 
evidence to support Mr Robson's claim.

"There has been no change in the risk management and allocation procedures. 
The allocation process has not been altered and the same risk assessments 
have been undertaken," he added.

Mr Mason said overcrowding problems were severely affecting prisons 
throughout the country, including Chelmsford Prison, where the prison's 
capacity had increased from 501 offenders to 536 with no extra resources or 
staff.

A Prison Service spokeswomen said: "Obviously we are well aware there are 
overcrowding problems in the prison service at the moment. We are looking 
in the short term and long term to try and tackle this problem.

"But the director general Martin Narey has made it clear to everyone in the 
prison service that at a time like this, we should be extra careful in risk 
assessing prisoners to ensure they are correctly and properly categorised.

"No prisoner who is unsuitable for a category D prison should be held in 
such an establishment."

Convicted murderer Hughes has been reported missing from Hollesley Bay's 
open wing since Saturday evening.

The 28-year-old Irishman was jailed for life in 1995 for killing his 
girlfriend. He was last seen at 6.50pm and reported missing just over an 
hour later.
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