Speeches

Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to address neo-Nazi and extreme Islamist elements in prisons; and what steps he is taking to educate prisoners about democratic principles.

Andrew Selous

The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) does not tolerate extremist behaviour of any ideology. Should prisoners demonstrate such behaviour staff will, where appropriate, subject them to disciplinary action, and/or ensure that they undertake appropriate interventions and education.

In order to ensure our current practice is as robust and effective as possible in dealing with extremism in prison, the Justice Secretary commissioned a review, supported by external expertise, of the overall approach to dealing with Islamist extremism in prisons, probation and the youth justice system and is currently considering the recommendations.