Reference..
with (28)
Paragraph 8(c) of Mr. Wilson's minute
of 13 February
There seems to be some misunderstanding
of the Prisons Board of Review's positon in this
matter.
2. The Board consists of the Atorney General
(Chairman) with a mixture of officials and unofficials as members. It is a purtby advisory body and
it was set up some ten years ago. Its function
is routinely to advise the Governor on the
meted
sentences made out to long term prisoners; to
prisoners detained during Her Majesty's pleasure
and to young prisoners (i.e. those under 21 years
old at the date of their offence.)
3. The Board operates under Frisoners Rule
69A and under that Rule (and so far as long term
prisoners are concerned) it reviews, after four
years and every two years thereafter, the sentences
of all prisoners imprisoned for terms exceeding
six years.
4. Under the same Prison Rule 69A the Governor
has a general discretim to review the case of
any prisoner at any time: but for obvious political
and presentational reasons it would be out of
the question for him to make open use of this
power in order to reduce the sentences of long
term confrontation prisoners solely on the ground
that to do so might improve Sino British relations.
5. However, as part of the general coperative
effort to secure the release of Mr. Grey last
year the Governor put forward the idea of using
the Prison Board of Review as a ploy to engineer
the earlier release of a number of confronta
confrontation
prisoners and in particular the release of Wong
Chak, last of the communist newsworker prisoners
with whose situation the Peking authorities had