Read the letter sent to SOME residents about sex offenders at Thorn Cross prison

Neighbours living on Chapel Lane – which is situated across the road from the prison on Arley Road – discovered the news after reading about the decision in the media.

Following concerns raised by residents, the Warrington Guardian has decided to publish the letter in full so residents can read the letter in its entirely.

More than 2,000 people have signed a petition within 24 hours calling for the Government to make a u-turn over its plans to house sex offenders at Thorn Cross prison.

The campaign, which was launched by the Warrington Guardian on Wednesday afternoon, was set up after the Ministry of Justice revealed plans to allow convicted sex offenders to serve the remainder of their custodial sentences at the open prison in Appleton Thorn.

This is despite a commitment from the Government that this would never happen.

The changes are expected to come into force by the end of the year at the facility on Arley Road which is just yards away from Appleton Thorn Primary School.

The decision has triggered concerns across the village with some fearing their safety could be put in jeopardy. Read the full story here.

The Warrington Guardian can also reveal that HMP Thorn Cross is the closest open prison to a primary school in the country.

This morning, more than 3,000 had signed the petition.

To sign the petition click here.

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Dear Appleton Thorn resident,

We are sending this to inform our immediate neighbours of a change made nationally affecting HMP Thorn Cross.

The Secretary of State has taken a decision to expand the open prison estate.

This expansion is to accommodate offenders who have committed sexual offences.

HMP Thorn Cross has been identified as one of those establishments that will start to take a number of sex offenders by the end of the calendar year.

Many of you may have concerns in relation to this news and we have compiled some information that we trust will answer your questions.

Should you wish to visit the establishment to gain a wider understanding of how men are risk assessed before they arrive at HMP Thorn Cross and then the extensive risk assessment process they undertake before they are allowed to access home leave or work in the community, we will hold an event inviting you to attend the establishment.

Should you wish to attend such an event can you reply to our management coordinator Samantha Hallimond on samantha.hallimond@hmps.gsi.gov.uk.

We will confirm dates when we have an understanding of the numbers wishing to attend.

I have published below the national communication published in respect of these changes.

Mick Povall, governor

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Under this Government, more sex offenders are being convicted and spending longer behind bars. Since 2010 sentences have increased by over 20 per cent, with sex offenders facing on average five years in prison.

There are now 4,000 more men in prison convicted of sexual offences than there were in 2010. This includes a growing number of men who present a low risk and have been assessed as suitable to be held in open prisons.

The prison service already successfully holds men convicted of sexual offences in open conditions at HMP Leyhill and HMP North Sea Camp, but due to the increase in this population group more open prisons are needed to accommodate these offenders.

In response to this population trend, the Justice Secretary has agreed to authorise HMP Hollesley Bay and HMP Thorn Cross to accept men convicted of sexual offences as part of their population. Subject to agreement of detailed local implementation plans, I expect these changes will take place by the end of the year.

This followed an assessment that recommended introducing men convicted of sexual offences to HMP Thorn Cross and HMP Hollesley Bay. Authorising more open prisons to accept men convicted of sexual offences, if they satisfy the current open conditions eligibility tests, would ensure a greater geographical options for men convicted of sexual offences that are category D.

The safety of the public is our highest priority. The ability to test men in open conditions as they approach the end of their sentence is often a critical step in their reintegration into society.

Prior to transferring to the Open estate a risk assessment of all prisoners is undertaken on a case by case basis and the re-categorisation process places risk of harm to the public at the forefront of the decision making process.

On arrival in the Open estate, the prisoners will be subject to a robust risk assessment in line with all prisoners held at the prison. Some prisoners may be allowed out of the prison on licence, for example commute to employment or on home leave. These are strictly controlled and approved by appropriate Prison Managers. All prisoners will be required to report back to the prison in line with specific licence conditions.

By making this change we are improving options for the staged rehabilitation of offenders in supervised conditions. This can offer significant advantages for the safe management of offenders compared to release directly from closed conditions.

As part of the transformation of the estate we aim to get the right prisoners held in the appropriate conditions to both protect the public and offer a rehabilitative environment to tackle their offending behaviour.

Increasing the number of places in the open prison estate for men convicted of sexual offences, who are assessed as low risk, will go towards achieving this aim and free up much needed capacity in closed prisons.

We will always ensure there are sufficient prison places for offenders sentenced to custody by the courts and aim to ensure that the prison estate reflects the needs of offenders and provides best value for the taxpayer.

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Q. What type of prisoners are currently held in these prisons?

A. The prison holds category D prisoners. A category D prisoner is a prisoner who presents a low risk and can reasonably be trusted in open conditions and for whom open conditions are appropriate.

Open prisons provide a regime that supports safe and successful resettlement back into the community.

Q. What type of prisoners will the prison now hold?

A. The prison will continue to hold category D prisoners. This will now include category D prisoners who are convicted of sexual offences.

Q. Why were these prisons chosen?

A. HMP Thorn Cross and HMP Hollesley Bay have been chosen as these establishments offer the opportunity to improve options for the staged rehabilitation of offenders in supervised conditions and provides a better geographic distribution of rehabilitation options for these men as they prepare to re-enter society.

Q. Are these prisons going to be sex offender only prisons?

A. No, they will hold a mixture of prisoners with a range of offences, including men convicted of sexual offences.

There will be no change to the overall size of these prison’s population, this change relates to widening the range of prisoners eligible for transfer into these establishments.

Q. What steps are taken to safely manage prisoners and protect the public?

A. Public protection is our priority. Prisoners have their security category reviewed at regular intervals, at no less than 12 month intervals. Factors considered during the categorisation process include length of sentence, type of offence and any offending history.

Public protection is paramount, only those prisoners who are assessed as low risk of escape/abscond and low risk of causing harm to the public are transferred to an open prison

Q. Will men convicted of sexual offences be allowed out of these open prisons?

A. Yes, but they will first be subject to a robust risk assessment in line with all prisoners held at this prison. Some prisoners may be allowed out of the prison on licence for resettlement purposes. These are strictly controlled and approved by senior prison staff. All prisoners will be required to comply with individual licence conditions

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Q. Why are you putting our community at risk from these offenders?

A. The safety of the public is our highest priority. The ability to test men in open conditions as they approach the end of their sentence is a critical step in their reintegration into society.

The prisoners who will be coming to this prison will be coming towards the end of their sentence or serving a short sentence in the first place. The prisoners will have been helped to change their lives while in prison and will have been assessed as low risk prisoners. Any temporary release will only be allowed where an individual risk assessment shows it is safe to allow them to leave the prison to access work, education or other essential services that can prepare them for release.

Q. Will men convicted of sexual offences be allowed to work in or near schools?

A. Any temporary release will only be allowed where an individual risk assessment shows it is safe to allow them to leave the prison to access work, education or other essential services that can prepare them for release. Appropriate conditions can be attached to any release and include provisions for exclusion zones, or limiting places of work. All releases are strictly controlled and approved by senior prison staff, police and national probation service.

Q. Aren’t you endangering the safety of the public?

A. No prisoner is granted temporary release unless the prisoner meets stringent eligibility criteria and passes a rigorous risk assessment.

Offenders are closely monitored and those who misbehave or provide cause for concern can be immediately returned to closed conditions

Open conditions are an important means of testing and furthering the rehabilitation of offenders, especially those who have spent many years in closed conditions.

Q. What categories of prison are in the prison estate?

A. The prison estate is made up of four categorisations of prisons ranging from secure category A facilities to category D facilities. Category D facilities (i.e open prisons) hold prisoners who present a low risk; can reasonably be trusted in open conditions and for whom open conditions are appropriate.