PRISONS Minister Jeremy Wright has tried to reassure people in Pucklechurch that stringent security procedures are in place ready for the relocation of hundreds of sex offenders.

Mr Wright, Secretary of State for Justice, attempted to allay residents’ fears over the change of Ashfield prison from a young offenders’ institution to a category c unit housing male sex offenders.

He was responding to concerns raised by Thornbury and Yate MP Steve Webb.

In the letter, Mr Wright said he appreciated local people had concerns over the changes, which are in response to dwindling numbers of young people being jailed for their crimes.

He said: “There are robust and well-tested contingency plans in place to deal with potential risks at the prison and, whilst there are some specific security requirements which will be put in place before the arrival of sex offenders at the site, it should be remembered that prisons holding this population cohort traditionally experience a far lower level of incidents than other category c prisons.”

Responding to concerns that prisoners will remain in the area on release, Mr Wright said the majority of sex offenders held at Ashfield would be released under licence with specific conditions restricting their movement. He said all prisoners would be collected from the prison gate or taken to the nearest mainline railway station in Bristol.

Mr Wright added: “Any prisoner who applied for temporary release has to pass a stringent risk-assessment process and demonstrate that their risk of serious harm has been sufficiently reduced.

“No prisoners will be allowed out of the prison, for example for medical appointments, into the local community by themselves. They will always be accompanied by a member of staff.”

Mr Webb said despite the reassurances, he remained unconvinced over the proposal.

“I remain of the view that converting Ashfield to a category c prison for the exclusive use of male sex offenders is a mistake,” he said.

“Whilst most people would accept having a regular adult prison on the site if the youth provision is to be closed, there are real local concerns about the implications of having a concentration of sex offenders in this way. “If the plans do go ahead we will monitor very carefully the arrangements for release of prisoners and handling of prisoners more generally, to make sure that the assurances that I have been given are kept to.”

The changes are still under negotiation with the National Offender Management Service and Serco, a private contractor which operates Ashfield. The government is hoping to finalise the plans and move the first sex offenders to Pucklechurch in July although the decision is subject to the outcome of a judicial review into removing young people from the prison.