asked Her Majesty’s Government:
How many women prisoners in United Kingdom prisons have children under 16 years old, and of these how many have children under five years old.
My Lords, the National Offender Management Service does not routinely keep information on the number of prisoners in England and Wales who have dependent children. However, the 2003-04 resettlement survey commissioned by the then Prison Service Custody to Work Unit showed that half of all female prisoners had dependent children, including stepchildren, and that 46 per cent of those women had lived with at least one dependent child before custody.
My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that Answer. It reminds us that these statistics are not regularly collected, which is a weakness in itself. It is well known that time spent in a children’s home is a major predictor of offending behaviour, so what steps are the Government taking to ensure that the children of women prisoners do not become looked-after children? Bearing in mind that women are often remanded in prison on relatively minor charges, are the Government implementing the recommendation of the Corston review that women should be remanded only after consideration of a probation report on the impact on their children?
My Lords, I certainly take the noble Baroness’s point about statistics. I will ensure that my department considers that point. We are consulting on the Corston recommendation. The noble Baroness is right to refer us to the poor outcomes for many children in care. Many of the children of women prisoners find themselves in care. My department and the Department for Children, Schools and Families reviewed this matter. Although the review found no conclusive evidence to show that imprisoning parents of itself causes poor outcomes for these children, research undertaken on the children of offenders shows that they face severe challenges. That is why, as part of the Think Family approach, the Department for Children, Schools and Families and my department are exploring better ways to meet a child’s needs when a parent goes to prison.
My Lords, can the Minister confirm that, according to the Corston report, 18,000 children a year are affected by their mothers’ imprisonment and that a third of the mothers have children under five when they are taken into custody? What is being done to improve visiting arrangements— a Home Office survey showed that half of the mothers had had no visits—and communication between children and their mothers? Sixty-two miles is the average distance from home for mothers in prison; the distance is 50 miles for men. What are the Government doing about that?
My Lords, the noble Earl is absolutely right to raise the important question of visiting. The latest statistics I have show the average distance from home for women prisoners is 58 miles, although that can vary enormously depending on where the family lives and other issues.
Of course, we need to do everything that we can to encourage visiting. There is an Assisted Prison Visits Unit and there is help for those relatives or partners who receive benefits or are on a low income. Prisons are encouraged to undertake special children’s visits. There is a target for women prisoners to have children’s visits four times a year, which gives an opportunity for the child to have more contact with their mother than would be the case with ordinary visits.
My Lords, if the noble Lord can give statistics on the average distance that a woman prisoner is from home when she is in prison—he gave the figure of 58 miles—why can he not give the statistics asked for in the Question? What is the point of the department if it cannot do that?
My Lords, I have already said that we have identified that we have an issue about that statistic and I said that I will take this back to the department. It is clear that many women prisoners have children, and that is why it is so important to ensure, as the noble Earl suggested, that visits are as effective as possible.
My Lords, is the Minister aware that there are only 75 mother and baby places in prisons? Bearing in mind the desirability of keeping babies with their mothers, and the fact that that is only a fraction of the number of mothers and babies who could benefit from being kept together in that way, are the Government planning to increase the number of mother and baby units? What help is being given to those caring for the children of prisoners when they are kept at home, which is clearly more desirable than putting them into care, where such carers can be properly supported?
My Lords, on help for carers, I have already referred to the Think Family initiative, which is an important part of what we are doing. The noble Baroness is right to raise the importance of mother and baby units, and she is right that in total they provide accommodation for up to 75 mothers and their children. I have been informed that over the past five years, the number of applications for admission to mother and baby units has never exceeded the number of available places.
My Lords, does the Minister agree that the number of women offenders has gone up, perhaps not least because some of the laws that have been passed recently mean that a second offence requires an offender to be sent to prison? Under those circumstances, can the Minister give an assurance that the Government will be thinking of better ways to do this and of closer prison places for women? Can that be done ahead of Titan prison-building? We need an assurance on that.
My Lords, the House will know that we will be publishing further work on Titans shortly. The report of my noble friend Lady Corston focused on the need for smaller units closer to women’s homes. We are considering that carefully. The noble Baroness is right that there has been an increase in the number of women in prison. That has now stabilised. I should emphasise that the law makes it clear that prison sentences should be given only when the offending behaviour is so serious as to merit a custodial term. Clearly, we must ensure that that is kept in mind at all times.