Women's Prisons

Mr. Garnier
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what account was taken of the recommendations of the Corston Report in the redesignation of HMP/YOI Drake Hall and HMP Morton Hall.

Mr. Hanson
The re-designate of HMP/YOI Drake Hall and HMP/YOI Morton Hall as closed prisons takes account of Baroness Corston's recommendation of the establishment of multi-functional units close to population centres. I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer of 23 January 2009, Official Report; column 360W.

The effect of the change allows for greater flexibility in the use of the estate; improving closeness to home and families for some women, allowing appropriate lifer and indeterminate sentenced women to be placed so as to better meet their needs, and in general enable more women to access the resettlement regimes available at the two prisons.