Dear N Smith

Re: Request under the 2000 Freedom of Information Act

First of all may I take this opportunity to apologise for the delay in responding to your Freedom of Information request.

Thank you for your e-mail dated 11^th November 2008, in which you sought information relating to the following from the Ministry of Justice:

I can confirm that the Department holds the information within the scope of your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

In public sector prisons from April 2007 to March 2008 the average amount spent per prisoner on food and beverages was £2.12 per 24 hours, this is for breakfast, midday and evening meal and a supper snack together with all condiments and beverages.

2. Do prisoners earn a wage whilst in prison?

Prisoners may earn wages whilst in prison. Prison Service Order 4460 on Prisoners Pay gives details; this document is available on the HM Prison Service website www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk

3. If prisoners earn a wage, how is this done?

Please refer to the Prison Service Order above, which also sets out rates of pay.

4. Are prisoners eligible to have items in their cell (i.e. T.V., pets, books etc.)?

Prison Service Order 1250 Prisoners Property and Prison Service Order 4000 Incentives and Earned Privileges (specifically regarding in a cell T.V.) gives full details of what prisoners may have in their cells. This document is also available on the HM Prison Service website.

5. What activities do prisoners undertake whilst in prison?

Activities for prisoners mainly consist of education, work and Offending Behaviour Treatment Programmes; education may be vocational, remedial or physical. Offending Behaviour Programmes are designed to help prisoners address their offending behaviours and the completion of these may be an integral part of their sentence. Prisoners also follow substance abuse programmes where appropriate.

Work may be skilled or unskilled and is often linked to training and vocational qualifications such as NVQ. It is generally undertaken in the prison although low risk prisoners may be released on a daily basis to work outside in the community. Convicted prisoners below retirement age are required to work unless they are participating in other programmes, and commit a disciplinary offence if they refuse to do so. If convicted prisoners refuse to participate in other activities they could lose both pay and privileges and, where applicable, affect their chances of parole. Remand prisoners are able to take part in activities but are not required to.

6. How many prisoners serve their full sentences? How many have their sentences extended for offending whilst in prison? How many prisoners are released at the end of their full sentences?

The proportion of a custodial sentence that is actually spent in custody is determined by law; or, for prisoners are eligible for parole, by the independent Parole Board. The Prison Service/National Offender Management Service has very limited discretion to determine a prisoner's date of release. This is confined to release on license and subject to electronic monitoring on Home Detention Curfew, within the statutory limitations of the scheme.

Further information can be found in the following Prison Service Orders and Prison Service Instructions on the HM Prison Service website: - Prison service Order 6000 Parole Release and Recall; Prison Service Order 6650 Sentence Calculation; Prison Service Order 6700 Home Detention Curfew; and Prison Service Instruction 42/2007 End of Custody Licence.

Prison Governors do have the power to release prisoners for short periods on temporary licence, after which they must return to the prison.

The figures requested are contained in the annual Offender Management Caseload statistics published on the Ministry of Justice website: www.justice.gov.uk/publications/prisonandprobation This includes information on the number of prisoners whose time in prison is extended for disciplinary offences. Details of the disciplinary system are contained in Prison Service Order 2000 Adjudications, which again is available on the HM Prison service website.

As part of our obligations under the FOIA, the Ministry of Justice has an independent review process. If you are dissatisfied with this decision, you may write to request an internal review. The internal review will be carried out by someone who did not make the original decision, and they will re-assess how the Department handled the original request.

If you wish to request an internal review, please write or send an email to the Data Access and Compliance Unit within two months of the date of this letter, at the following address:

Data Access and Compliance Unit

Information Directorate

Ministry of Justice

1^st Floor, Zone 1C

Post point 1.41

102 Petty France

London

SW1H 9AJ

e-mail: [email address]

If you remain dissatisfied after an internal review decision, you have the right to apply to the Information Commissioner's Office under Section 50 of the FOIA. You can contact the Information Commissioner's Office at the following address:

Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Internet: https://www.ico.gov.uk/Global/contact_us.aspx

Yours sincerely

Darren Over

Data Access and Compliance Unit

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