TNAG-0216-FCO40-252-Detainees-and-prisoners-convicted-for-offences-during-the-di-1970 — Page 88

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