His Excellency the Governor, Martyn Roper, has agreed to accept the advice of the Advisory Committee for the Prerogative of Mercy to remit the sentences of a number of prisoners and to repatriate them to their home countries. 

Using the Prison Director’s existing powers, a small number of prisoners coming towards the end of their sentences have already been released.

HMP Northward currently has a population of 185. The design capacity of the prison is 169 but the maximum single cell occupancy is 138. The onset of COVID-19 presents significant challenges in a closed prison environment. In order to safeguard the health of prison staff and prisoners alike and to enable better adherence to the policy of social distancing. The Prison Director is taking steps to reduce the prison population in a manner that presents no risk to the general public. 

Four prisoners, who are being released, are all low risk and have responded very well to custody and have engaged with the services and interventions offered to them. On release, they were taken directly to the airport and departed on the outward flights that took place Friday, 17 April and today (Monday, 20 April).