JOURNALISTS' PRISON VISITS

EDM number 1064 in 1990-91, proposed by Allan Rogers on 02/07/1991.

That this House deplores the provision in prison standing orders which prohibits visits to prisoners by journalists acting in their professional capacity other than in exceptional circumstances; considers that this is an unreasonable restriction on the right of prisoners and journalists to draw public attention to alleged miscarriages of justice and defects in the operation of the criminal justice and penal systems; notes that the prohibition is ineffective in preventing journalists who are not known to prison staff from visiting prisoners and effectively prohibits only well-known journalists; considers that the regulation is illogical as prisoners may correspond with journalists about their cases; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to amend prison orders to provide that journalists may visit prisoners provided that (a) this forms part of the prisoners' normal allocation of visits and (b) the journalist has not abused visiting arrangements in the past, serious journalism relating to alleged wrongful convictions or aspects of the treatment of offenders not being an abuse.

This motion has been signed by a total of 29 MPs.