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Mr. Holt
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convicted murderers in prison now have served (a) 30 years, (b) 25 years, (c) 20 years, (d) 15 years, (e) 10 years, (f) five years and (g) under five years.
Mr. Douglas Hogg
Information on the time spent under sentence in prison department establishments in England and Wales by sentenced murderers held in such establishments on 30 September 1987 is given in the table. More detailed information about all life sentenced prisoners is given annually in "Prison Statistics, England and Wales", table 1(f) of the latest issue, for 1986, (Cm. 210), a copy of which is in the Library.
| Sentenced murderers held under their original sentence1in Prison Department establishments in England and Wales on 30 September 1987: by time spent under sentence in such establishments Years spent under sentence3 | |
| Number of prisoners2 | |
| Under 5 | 794 |
| 5 and under 10 | 646 |
| 10 and under 15 | 247 |
| 15 and under 20 | 68 |
| 20 and under 25 | 23 |
| 25 and under 30 | 5 |
| 30 and over | 1 |
| Total | 1,784 |
| 1 Excluding 68 murderers recalled following an earlier release on licence. | |
| 2 The figures are those recorded centrally and are approximate. | |
| 3 Excluding any time spent on remand in custody or in non-prison department establishments. | |