In what would mark a major policy shift for the US government, the Pentagon has reportedly decided to give prisoners in US custody the minimal protections afforded by the Geneva Conventions. The Financial Times is reporting Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England made the announcement to senior military personnel on Friday. England said the US would respect Common Article Three, which prohibits inhumane treatment and requires certain basic legal rights. If confirmed, the decision would reverse the Bush administration’s policy on detainees captured in the so-called war on terror. Last month, the Supreme Court ruled the Bush administration’s military tribunals to try Guantanamo prisoners are illegal. The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to take up the tribunals at a hearing today. The Senate Armed Services Committee has scheduled a hearing for Thursday.