§ 32. Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure young persons are not held within the adult prison system. [35185]
§ Ms QuinProvisional figures indicate there were 2,559 young people aged under 18 in prison custody on 31 January 1998. Two thousand, four hundred and fifty-three of these were young men, of whom all but 277 were held in prison establishments for young offenders, not in adult prisons. Of the 277 young men held in adult prisons, all but two were held in accommodation separate from adult prisoners. The Government are currently reviewing the secure estate for juveniles as part of their Comprehensive Spending Review.
There are no young offender institutions for young women which are entirely separate from adult prisons. However, by April this year over 83 per cent. of young women in prison will be held in entirely separate accommodation, mother and baby units or in 'open' prison conditions.
§ Mr. Ivan LewisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he will take to ensure that support and guidance is given to the parents of young offenders. [35167]
§ Mr. MichaelAs part of our radical reform of the youth justice system, we will introduce a parenting order to encourage parents to accept their responsibilities for their children's behaviour. It will allow courts to direct that parents exercise control over children and require parents to receive training and guidance.