§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many men have been subjected to PPG tests in the current and previous three years; how many of these were serving life-sentences; how many had "spent convictions" for sexual offences; and how many had no previous conviction for a sexual offence; and
What is the scientific validity, particularly for predicting subsequent behaviour, and the margin of error in PPG tests; whether side-effects from exposure to mercury have been noted among those subjected to tests; and whether PPG tests have been independently evaluated; and
What comparisons have been made, if any, between the reactions of prisoners and non-prisoners to PPG testing; and
125WAWhether in all cases those undergoing PPG testing have to be subjected to erotic, pornographic or sadistic material; and what effect this is considered to have, particularly on long-term prisoners; and
Whether they can confirm that penile plethysmograph (PPG) tests are continuing on men imprisoned for sexual offences; whether testing was publicly announced in advance; and on whose authority such tests are conducted; and
What account is taken of the effect on relations between prisoners and their families, and on relationships within prisons (especially re Rule 43) before PPG tests are ordered.
§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Blatch)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 to Lord Hylton from the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, Mr. Richard Tilt, dated 26/10/95.
Lady Blatch has asked me to reply to your recent Questions about penile plethysmograph (PPG) testing in the Prison Service.
In the year ending 31 March 1995, PPG tests were carried out on 103 prisoners. In each case, concern about risk of future sex offending had already been identified and PPG testing was being carried out to identify one of the factors (sexual preferences) which might contribute to that risk and which would consequently need to be addressed in subsequent treatment. Information is not held centrally about the nature of the prisoners' sentences and criminal records and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. In practice, however, the prisoners concerned would almost invariably have been serving their current sentence either for a sexual offence or for a murder in which a sexual element had been identified. Information could also be obtained only at disproportionate cost about the numbers of offenders tested in the previous three years.
Extensive international research has been carried out with both prisoner and non-prisoner populations. The general finding has been that the great majority of men who have not been convicted of sexual offences show stronger reactions to depictions of consenting sex as compared to depictions of rape or violence, and stronger reactions to depictions of adults than to depictions of children. In contrast, deviant sexual interests are much more common among men who have been repeatedly convicted of sexual offences. The Prison Service's use of PPG has recently been reviewed by the independent panel of experts who advise the Prison Service on the development of the Sex Offender Treatment Programme (SOTP). A comprehensive analysis of research findings by the panel has shown that PPG assessment provides the single most powerful predictor of future sexual offending. Many other factors are, however, considered when assessing the risk presented by sex offenders and the Prison Service never uses PPG tests in isolation.
It is difficult to determine the sole effect of PPG testing on prisoners as it comprises just one element of 126WA the comprehensive assessment which normally precedes participation in the SOTP. There is no mercury involved in the equipment used by the Prison Service. The material used for PPG testing is less explicit than some shown on national television and no men have been placed on Rule 43 as a result of their participation in PPG assessment. Prisoners' families may be affected by the knowledge that the Prison Service considers that the inmate may commit a sex offence after release. However, it is unlikely that the inclusion or exclusion of the PPG test in the assessment which follows this judgement makes a material difference.
The Prison Service's intention to begin large scale use of PPG assessment was announced in 1991 when the Sex Offender Treatment Programme, of which it forms a part, was begun. A copy of the publication Treatment Programme for Sex Offenders in Custody: A Strategy was placed in the Library of the House in July 1991. As the programme has increased in scale, PPG assessment has become more common. This trend is set to continue in the future. The SOTP is a centrally co-ordinated initiative and both the material used in PPG tests and the circumstances of assessment are carefully controlled by the central unit responsible for the co-ordination of this initiative.