Prisons: Coronavirus

(asked on 15th July 2020) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to end the restrictions in place in prisons to address the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular (1) 23-hour daily cell confinement, and (2) the ban on family visits.


Answered by
 Portrait
Lord Keen of Elie
This question was answered on 28th July 2020

As a result of the strong but necessary measures we introduced in prisons, including suspending social visits, lives have been saved and the NHS is being protected from the impact of widespread local outbreaks.

Some prisons have already started to ease restrictions, including re-starting social visits with appropriate social distancing and hygiene arrangements, and enabling more time out of cell. More prisons will do so over the coming weeks, guided by public health advice and with safety remaining the absolute priority.

Individual prisons and the youth estate will progress at their own speed, taking full account of their specific local circumstances.

A temporary video call service to support prisoners maintaining contact with family and friends has also been introduced. This is intended for use whilst contact is limited and we are considering the benefits of maintaining these digital solutions in the longer term, in line with the recommendations of Lord Farmer’s reviews.

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