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Young Offenders

Volume 270: debated on Monday 22 January 1996

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To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young offenders sentenced under section 53(1) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 were in custody on the last date for which figures are available; and of those in custody, how many were (a) in local authority secure accommodation, (b) in prison department custody and (c) detained under mental health legislation. [9887]

Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Richard Tilt to Mr. Alex Carlile, dated 22 January 1996:

The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about young offenders sentenced under section 53(1) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933.
On 15 January 1996 there were 51 young offenders, including 9 juveniles, sentenced under section 53(1) of the 1933 Act in custody. 48 were held in Prison Service custody and 3, all juveniles, in local authority secure accommodation. There are currently no young offenders who have been sentenced under section 53(1) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 detained under mental health legislation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of the convicted prison population aged over 21 years had also been convicted of an offence under the age of 21 years, for the latest year for which information is available; and if he will make a statement. [9875]

[holding answer 18 January 1996]: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Richard Tilt to Mr. Alex Carlile, dated 22 January 1996:

The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question asking what percentage of the convicted prison population aged over 21 years had also been convicted of an offence under the age of 21 years for the latest year for which information is available.
The latest available information is contained in the attached table.

Adult prison population1 in Prison Service establishments under sentence on 30 June 1994: by whether an offence2 is recorded under the age of 21

England and Wales, Adults

Percentage

Population

Previous history not found3

No conviction 2 aged under 21

Conviction 2 aged under 21

Males28,89652669
Females1,128115435
Total30,02452867

1 Excludes fine defaulters and is based on samples of 4,606 males and 1,105 females. The adult population consists of those aged 21 and over apart from some young offenders aged 21 who have not been reclassified as adult.

2 Relates to convictions for "standard list" offences only. These offences include all indictable offences and some of the more serious summary offences.

3 Information on prisoners was matched to records on the Home Office Offenders Index. In some cases no set of matching records can be found. A prisoner may not be matched because he or she may not have been sentenced to a "standard list" offence and has

no previous record for such offences or alternatively there may be an inconsistency between personal details held on the Offenders Index and those held on prison records.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many persons aged 15 years were held in young offenders' institutions and remand centres in England and Wales on the last available date; in which establishments they were held; and if they were held on remand or under sentence; [10145](2) how many persons aged 16 years were held in each young offenders institution and remand centre in England and Wales

(a) on remand and (b) under sentence, on the last available date. [10146]

Population of 15 and 16-year-olds in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales on 31 December 19951

Remand

15-year-olds Sentence

Total

Remand

15-year-olds Sentence

Total

Remand centres

Brinsford22
Exeter1122
Feltham1155
Glen Parva882626
Gloucester11415
Hindley5517421
Low Newton551010
Northallerton1111
Norwich11
Swansea358
Total remand centres (male)2121811091

Closed YOIs (male)

Aylesbury1111
Brinsford11
Deerbolt11
Feltham441111
Glen Parva221111
Moorland1166
Onley11
Portland1111
Stoke Heath1133
Swinfen Hal22
Total closed YOIs (male)11113737

Juvenile YOIs (male)

Brinsford9716121022
Deerbolt14144343
Feltham52227294372
Huntercombe221616
Lancaster Fms415
Onley13133333
Portland994646
Stoke Heath11115050
Thorn Cross4444
Werrington13133131
Wetherby11112929
Total Juvenile YOIs (male)1410612045306351

Closed YOIs (female)

Bullwood Hall1111
New Hall11
Styal3311
Total closed YOIs (female)4433

Open YOIs (female)

Drake Hall22
East Sutton Park11
Total open YOIs (female)33

[holding answer 19 January 1996]: Responsibility for these matters has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Richard Tilt to Mr. Alun Michael, dated 22 January 1996:

The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Questions asking, how many persons aged 15 and 16 years were being held in young offenders' institutions and remand centres in England and Wales on the last available date; in which establishments they were held; and if they were held on remand or under sentence.
The latest available information is for 31 December 1995 and is given in the attached table.

Population of 15 and 16-year-olds in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales on 31 December 19951

Remand

15-year-olds Sentence

Total

Remand

16-year-olds Sentence

Total

Other establishments8513241640
Total all establishments43126169150375525

1 Provisional figures. Remand includes both untried and also convicted unsentenced prisoners.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the significance of emotional disturbance among young people as a factor associated with inmates of detention centres; what estimate he has made of the proportion of the cost to detention centres accounted for by such young people; and if he will make a statement. [9018]

[holding answer 19 January 1996]: Detention centres and youth custody centres were replaced by young offender institutions in 1988.Two studies have been commissioned by the Home Office into the mental health of sentenced and unsentenced prisoners. Both include findings of young males in prison, although data on young females was not collated separately from data on adult females. The report of the first study was published in May 1991 under the title, "Mentally Disordered Prisoners". The report of the second study, "Mental Disorder in Remand Prisoners", was received by the Home Office in late September 1995.The 1990 study showed that 33 per cent. of sentenced young male offenders in the sample group were diagnosed as suffering., from some form of psychiatric disorder, including harmful or dependent misuse of substances. The corresponding figure for unsentenced young male offenders in the 1995 study was 53 per cent. of the sample group.No figures are available on the cost of maintaining inmates with emotional or mental health problems, as opposed to those without such problems.