§ 30. Mr. Waddingtonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average length of time now spent in Borstal institutions by offenders sentenced to Borstal training; and what was the length of time spent by such offenders in such institutions in 1967, 1968 and 1969, respectively.
§ Mr. CarlisleAbout 10 months in England and Wales; corresponding figures for 1967, 1968 and 1969 were 12.3 months, 12.4 months and 10.7 months, respectively.
§ Mr. WaddingtonAre not many young offenders being kept in borstal institutions for only six or seven months? 1252 Because of shortage of accommodation, are not young persons being kept in borstal, very often, for so short a time that it is impossible for the authorities to give them any adequate training in a skill, which is one of the main purposes of borstal training?
§ Mr. CarlisleIn the closed borstals in the North, the period of training has been less than that in other parts of the country and was for a time based on a course of only 28 weeks. I can assure my hon. Friend that that matter is being considered and that the trainees in those borstals spend a good deal longer under training than 28 weeks.
§ Mr. CarlisleIf the hon. Gentleman means the proportion of those who are convicted within three years of leaving borstal, I regret to tell him that I believe that the figure has risen to 70 per cent. from 50 per cent. when borstals first started.