Skip to main content

Open Prisons: Prisoner Escapes

Volume 490: debated on Monday 23 March 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many inmates (a) escaped and (b) absconded from each open prison in each year since 1997. (264718)

Absconds have fallen to less than half the levels they were 10 years ago while there have been no prison escapes so far this financial year compared to 10 to 20 escapes per year a decade ago. Escapes occur when prisoners unlawfully absent themselves from custody by overcoming a physical barrier or restraint. Absconds occur from open prisons when prisoners absent themselves without needing to overcome a physical barrier or restraint. Prisoners can escape from an open prison if they are being held temporarily in secure conditions within the open prison such as in segregation.

The following table shows the number of prisoners who have absconded from each open prison since 1997. In addition to the figures shown in this table, one prisoner escaped from HMP Thorn Cross in 1999.

1997-98

1998-99

1999-2000

2000-01

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

Askham Grange

35

17

20

21

19

12

31

12

14

7

11

Blantyre House

1

1

1

1

1

Drake Hall

122

134

94

39

33

1

East Sutton Park

5

3

3

3

3

1

2

4

2

Ford

53

40

68

57

57

91

142

110

96

62

47

Grendon/Springhill

20

9

14

14

12

23

60

36

34

11

21

Hatfield

77

80

36

34

50

56

Hewell Grange

40

17

32

20

15

23

31

24

24

13

15

Hollesley Bay

13

25

11

24

8

14

36

32

16

21

19

Kirkham

234

202

171

169

163

208

213

120

74

54

65

Kirklevington

2

1

4

2

Latchmere House

2

1

2

1

Leyhill

20

25

34

25

19

33

114

102

66

37

55

Moorland

1

1

68

73

49

41

23

Morton Hall

20

15

23

6

1

North Sea Camp

25

32

27

24

36

34

79

33

49

48

46

Norwich (resettlement unit)

2

1

8

2

2

1

Standford Hill

35

36

43

29

37

83

89

39

58

38

44

Sudbury

81

75

63

69

81

68

75

77

76

78

55

Thorn Cross

168

135

147

110

135

152

130

90

105

82

68

Usk/Prescoed

7

13

19

14

5

8

35

19

9

9

8

Wealstun

48

70

72

105

79

101

144

74

28

46

32

Notes:

1. Colchester closed during 1998

2. Drake Hall changed role to Semi Open in 2001-02 from Open

3. Hatfield merged with Moorland in 2003-04

4. Kirklevington changed role to Semi Open in 2001-02 from Category C

5. Latchmere House changed role to Semi Open in 2001-02 from Open

6. Morton Hall changed role to Semi Open in 2001 -02 from Open

7. Norwich—Open Resettlement Unit

These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.

Figures on absconds and a range of other prison performance statistics are available at:

http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/abouttheservice/prisonperformance/performancestatistics/