Question
When Pentonville Prison was built in 1842, I do not imagine anybody expected that today it would have twice the number of prisoners the Victorians thought ought to be kept there. Furthermore, Pentonville Prison is a London remand prison—people used to be there for six to eight months on remand in pretty terrible conditions, but now they are there for years because of the crisis in the criminal justice system. The question is this: when they are released, what should be done with them? I was speaking to the governor of the prison on Friday, and he said that if the Government wished them to, prison officers would be quite happy to be trained to put the tags on people themselves before releasing them.
Answer
I thank my right hon. Friend for her thoughtful question. Like me, she has the greatest regard for our prison governors. They work on the frontline, keeping the public safe and keeping their prisons running, and they do come up with a lot of good ideas, many of which I have heard myself. I meet governors regularly about what we can do to improve matters; I am very much “ear to the ground.” Indeed, many of the proposals that we are taking forward to improve significantly on the situation we inherited come from the very practical reality that prison governors encounter, so I thank her for the suggestion.11% point-scoring 22% vibes
Verdict: RED (4/100)
The question asked what should happen to long-term remand prisoners held at Pentonville when they are released. The reply does not address this. It praises prison governors, says their ideas are taken on board, and thanks the Member for the suggestion, but it says nothing about remand prisoners, Pentonville, or release arrangements. The question is therefore effectively unanswered, and the asker would likely need to pursue it again.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What should be done with long-term remand prisoners held at Pentonville when they are released? | Not Addressed | Generic | The question asks what should happen to long-term remand prisoners held at Pentonville on release, but the reply only praises prison governors, says their ideas are taken on board, and thanks the Member for her suggestion, without saying anything about remand prisoners, Pentonville, or release arrangements. |