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<p><del class="ministerial">There are no central records of the number of prisoners
who have self-declared a transgender status. Individuals with a gender recognition
certificate are recorded on administrative systems in their legal gender, and are
not identifiable as having changed gender.</del></p><p /> <p><ins class="ministerial">In
March, we announced a package of measures to ensure that the public was properly protected.
Absconds and escapes have reached record lows under this Government, but we take each
incident seriously. As a result of a comprehensive review, we have made major changes
to tighten the eligibility for open prisons. Prisoners may no longer be transferred
to open conditions or allowed out on temporary release if they have previously absconded,
escaped, attempted to escape, or if they have failed to return or have re-offended
whilst released on temporary licence, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial"> </ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The change
in policy for eligibility for open conditions was not applied retrospectively: the
majority of these offenders who were already in open conditions were allowed to remain.
However, any prisoners who were assessed to present an unacceptable risk in such conditions
in light of their previous non-compliance were returned to closed prisons.</ins></p><p><ins
class="ministerial"> </ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">Progression to open prison
is never automatic. All prisoners undergo regular, mandatory assessment of their risk
of escape or abscond and risk of harm to the public. Only those who are assessed as
having an acceptable level of risk for conditions of lower security can be allocated
to open prison.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial"> </ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">As
at 31 March 2014, there were no prisoners held in open prisons who had absconded or
escaped on more than one occasion between 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2014. </ins></p><p><ins
class="ministerial"> </ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">There were 13 prisoners
who, in the year ending 31 March 2014, either escaped or absconded from prison, having
previously done so between 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2014. </ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">
</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">Data on escapes and absconds, prior to 1 April
2010 could not be obtained except at disproportionate cost due to changes in recording
practice. </ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial"> </ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">As
part of business as usual, open prisons return prisoners to closed conditions where
they judge that they can no longer be managed safely in open conditions. Figures for
this ongoing process are not included here.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">
</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">These figures have been drawn from administrative
IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible
errors with data entry and processing.</ins></p>
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