AN ACTION group fighting a controversial policy allowing sex offenders to stay at a Gwent open prison continues to demand answers from the prisons chief in Wales.
Paul Starling, chairman of the Usk and Communities Action Group, is accusing the Wales prison service boss, John May, of "side-stepping" questions raised about the issue.
Since child rapist Robert Neil Stokes went missing from Prescoed open prison for almost 24 hours last month, the surrounding communities have demanded a U-turn on the policy allowing sex offenders to stay there.
Mr Starling said: "This is a new policy, imposed without any proper consultation with the people of South-East Wales, who are now at risk.
"Mr May - despite his claims in the Argus yesterday - has failed again and again to give any answers."
Some of Mr Starling's questions include:
l What research shows sex offenders benefit from being placed in open prisons in terms of reduced risk of re-offending?
l Who do you tell when any offender escapes?
l At what stage in a sentence are convicted sex offenders being allowed out into open conditions?
l How are they chosen and who is making the decision?
In yesterday's Argus, Mr May said the prison policy to allow sex offenders in open prisons has been in operation for more than 30 years.
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