BB
Our reference: CRI.262/8/36 Your reference: FED.238/400/03
Mr Odyers
Doay Pet
Dear Pettitt,
HOME OFFICE Whitehall, London s.w.1 Telephone: Whitehall 8100 Ext.
22 Povemb
22 November, 1960.
You wrote to Cubbon on 13th September asking for advice on certain queries raised by the Attorney-General in Hong Kong in
I am relation to the review of long-term prison sentences. indeed sorry that preoccupation with other matters has prevented me from replying sooner.
X
It was formerly the practice here for periodical reports on all long-term prisoners to be submitted by the prison governor, That medical officer and chaplain at intervals of four years. is to say, an initial report was submitted when the prisoner had been detained under sentence for four years, a further report when he had served eight years, and so on, whether his sentence was for a fixed term or for life. This practice has recently been revised, so that we now require four-year reports only on (a) prisoners convicted of murder and (b) prisoners convicted of manslaughter under section 2 of the Homicide Act, 1957; reports are still required on all prisoners who have served eight, twelve or sixteen years.
In the case of persons serving a sentence of life imprison- ment, the purpose of these reports is to assist the Secretary of State in determining the period for which the prisoner should be detained. In the case of prisoners serving a term fixed by the courts it is to call attention to those who have been detained for a substantial period and to stimulate enquiry into the case where that may be considered necessary.
R. G. Pettitt, Esq.
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