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Prison Visiting Committees
A prison Visiting Committee is appointed to each prison under the Prisons (Visiting Committees) Act 1925 and Prisons (Visiting Committees) Order 1925.
Functions
The function of visiting committees is to visit, at frequent intervals, the prison to which they are appointed and hear any complaints which may be made to them by any prisoner. They report to the Minister any abuses observed or found by them in the prison and any repairs which they think may be urgently needed. The visiting committee has free access, either collectively or individually, to every part of their prison. In inspecting prisons, the visiting committees focus on issues such as the quality of accommodation and the catering, medical, educational and welfare services and recreational facilities.
The committees also submit annual reports to the Minister which are, subject to certain restrictions on the release of information of a personal nature, available to the general public.
Appointments
Appointments to the visiting committees are made by the Minister on foot of representations, usually either by individuals nominating themselves or from local representatives nominating a constituent. Members of visiting committees are appointed for a term not exceeding three years. At that point they may be either re-appointed for a further term or are replaced by new members.
There are no specific criteria used in selecting individuals for appointment. The composition of each committee is drawn from a wide spectrum to ensure that the needs of prisoners are understood and met. This is the long-standing practice used by successive ministers in appointing members to the visiting committees.
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