§ LORD LLEWELLINMy Lords, I beg to ask His Majesty's Government the question standing in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The question was as follows:
§ To ask His Majesty's Government, how many persons sentenced to Borstal have each year since the inception of this form of training been released at a date under twelve months from the date of their sentence upon the recommendation of the Governors of this institution supported by the Visiting Committees (but excluding those released on general instructions from the Home Office owing to war exigencies); and how many of such persons have subsequently been convicted of an indictable offence.]
§ LORD CHORLEYMy Lords I regret that it is not possible to give the particulars asked for in the first part of the question, in respect of releases from Borstal training dating back to 1909, and that the particulars which are recorded of subsequent convictions do not distinguish between indictable and non-indictable offences. A special return, however, has been obtained in respect of the years 1938 and 1947. This return shows that in 1938 58 youths were discharged from Borstal after less than twelve months' training, and of these 9 (or 16 per cent, of the total) were reconvicted in the course of the five years after their release. A total of 861 youths were discharged after more than twelve months training, of whom 347 (or 40 per cent.) were reconvicted in the course of the next five years. Of the 861 who were discharged after more than twelve months' training, 121 were released after training of eighteen months or less, of whom 42 (or 35 per cent.) were reconvicted in the course of the next five years.
In 1947, 92 youths were discharged after less than twelve months' training, of whom 11 (or 12 per cent.) have subsequently been reconvicted, and 1,764 youths were discharged after more than twelve months' training, of whom 501 (or 28 per cent.) have subsequently been reconvicted. Of the 1,764 who were discharged after more than twelve months' training, 1,285 were released after training of eighteen months or less, of whom 318 (or 25 per cent.) have subsequently been reconvicted. The fact that a person is released after a relatively short period of Borstal detention indicates that he has responded well to training, and there is, obviously, less likelihood of such 1089 a person being subsequently brought before the courts than there is of a person who requires more prolonged training before his discharge to the outside world can be authorised.
§ LORD LLEWELLINI am much obliged to the noble Lord for his answer to my question. I am glad that the figures which he has given relating to discharges of youths after less than twelve months' training tend to bear out the figures which I gave to your Lordships during the Committee stage of the Criminal Justice Bill.