§ Mrs. RocheTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current average time a teenager is held in prison awaiting trial. [33809]
§ Miss WiddecombeResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison598W Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Derek Lewis to Mrs. Barbara Roche, dated 12 july 1995:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the current average time a teenage is held in prison awaiting trial.
The latest available provisional information is for time spent in custody before conviction and time spent in custody after conviction before sentence in 1994. It is given in the attached table.
Estimated average time spent in custody for untried and convicted unsentenced prisoners, aged 15–19, in Prison Service establishments in 19941 Type of custody Receptions in 1994 Estimated average number of days in custody4 Untried2 13,056 44 Convicted unsentenced3 8,052 33 1 Provisional figures. 2 Time spent in custody before conviction. 3 Time spent in custody after conviction before sentence. 4 Estimated from the number of receptions and population in 1994, as measured by population on 30 June.
§ Mrs. RocheTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the cost to public funds of keeping a 15 or 16-year-old in prison for each day they await trial. [33814]
§ Miss WiddecombeResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Derek Lewis to Mrs. Barbara Roche, dated 12 July 1995:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the daily 'cost of keeping a 15 or 16 year old in prison while awaiting trial.
In 1993–94 the average daily cost of holding a prisoner in a young offender remand establishment was £55.
§ Mrs. RocheTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to phase out the use of prison custody for teenagers. [33808]
§ Miss WiddecombeWe are committed to ending the remanding of 15 and 16-year-olds boys to Prison Service establishments as soon as there are sufficient secure local authority places to accommodate them. A building programme of 170 new secure places in under way. We expect the majority of these places to be finished in 1996. Prison Service accommodation is not used for other remanded juveniles. We have no plans to phase out the use of Prison Service accommodation for sentenced juveniles.
§ Mrs. RocheTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many deaths of 15 and 16-year-olds awaiting trial in prison have occurred in the last 10 years, in which prisons and on what dates. [33810]
§ Miss WiddecombeResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
599WLetter from Derek Lewis to Mrs. Barbara Roche, dated 12 July 1995:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about suicides among fifteen and sixteen year olds in prison during the last ten years.
Between June 1985 and June 1995 there was one self-inflicted death of a fifteen or sixteen year old at a Prison Service establishment who was awaiting trial. This occurred on 13 July 1990 at Swansea prison.
§ Mrs RocheTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in which adult prisons 15 and 16-year-olds are currently held; and how many are held in each prison. [33812]
§ Miss WiddecombeResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Derek Lewis to Mrs. Barbara Roche, dated 12 July 1995:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question asking in which adult prisons 15 to 16 year olds are currently held; and how many are held in each prison.
The information requested is given in the attached table.
Population of 15 and 16 year olds in adult Prison Service establishments on 31 May 19951 Prison Service establishment Number Askham Grange 2 Cardiff 7 Doncaster 21 Exeter 1 Holloway 5 Hull 13 Low Newton 2 Wormwood Scrubs 1 Total 52 1 Provisional figures.