CONFIDENTIAL
Application of Review Procedure to Confrontation Prisoners
7. In order to secure the release from China last year of
Mr. Grey, the Governor put forward the idea of using the
Prisons Board of Review as a ploy to engineer the earlier
release of a number of confrontation prisoners. Under
normal procedures the Board was not entitled under Rule 69A
to review the case of any prisoner over 21 at the date of
offence unless he had been sentenced to more than six years.
However, in the exercise of his discretion, the Governor
gave instructions to the Board that it should review the
sentences of all prisoners serving sentences of four years
or more. This ploy was successful; a number of confronta-
tion prisoners were released and the release of Mr. Grey
quickly followed,
8.
Having completed their review of the sentences of all
confrontation prisoners serving more than four years, the
Board has no power to undertake any further review of any
sentences for another two years (one year in the case of
any prisoners under 21 when the offence was committed)
unless the Governor once again instructs them to do so.
The initiative for further action does not therefore rest
with the Board.
Further Use of Review Procedure
9. The sentences of all the 35 prisoners due for relcase
this year must have already been remitted to some extent
subject to good behaviour, otherwise these prisoners, having
been sentenced to four years or more, would not be due for
release until 1971 at the earliest. If, therefore, the
/release
CONFIDENTIAL