§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were eligible to76W be considered for release on 28 January under the home detention curfew provisions of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 subject to an enhanced risk procedure. [67316]
§ Mr. George HowarthWe estimate that about 135 prisoners will meet the eligibility criteria under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to be considered for a home detention curfew starting on 28 January 1999. All prisoners eligible to be assessed for the home detention curfew scheme would be subject to a rigorous enhanced risk assessment if this was judged necessary in the particular case.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the timetable for further releases after 28 January under the home detention curfew provisions of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998; and what is the most recent estimate of the number of prisoners to be released. [66992]
§ Mr. George HowarthFrom 28 January, prisoners eligible for home detention curfew under the provisions of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 will, if assessed as suitable for home detention curfew, be placed on curfew on their home detention curfew eligibility date, or as soon as possible thereafter once the assessment has been completed. Prisoners whose eligibility date falls on a weekend or bank holiday will not be released until the next working day. The numbers of offenders on home detention curfew will build up over the 60 days after 28 January to reach the standard number of offenders likely to be on curfew at any one time.
The numbers of prisoners placed on home detention curfew will depend on the assessments conducted by prison governors. On the basis of trials of the risk assessment conducted in a range of establishments last year, it was provisionally estimated that around 4,000 offenders might be on home detention curfew at any one time.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the prisoners to be released on 28 January under the home detention curfew provisions of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 were subject to an enhanced risk assessment procedure. [66989]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe assessments for home detention curfew are still ongoing. I will write to the hon. Member after 28 January, when this information becomes available.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the prisoners eligible to be considered for release on 28 January under the home detention curfew provisions of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 are serving sentences of(a) three years or (b) more than three years. [67313]
§ Mr. George HowarthThis data will not be available until after 28 January. The likely numbers would be too small for a reliable estimate to be made on the basis of more global figures. I will write to the hon. Member after 28 January when this information is available.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners are(a) eligible for release and (b) being released on 28 January under the home detention curfew provisions of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. [66988]
77W
§ Mr. George HowarthWe estimate that about 135 prisoners will meet the eligibility criteria under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to be considered for a home detention curfew starting on 28 January 1999. If 50 per cent. of those eligible were suitable for release on home detention curfew, this would mean that an estimated 60–70 prisoners would be placed on home detention curfew on 28 January.
No eligible prisoner will be placed on the home detention curfew scheme without the completion of a rigorous assessment of their suitability. The assessments for home detention curfew are still ongoing. I will write to the hon. Member when information on the numbers of prisoners who were curfewed, on 28 January 1999 is available.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the prisoners to be released on 28 January under the home detention curfew provisions of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 are serving sentences as a result of convictions for offences(a) of violence, (b) of burglary and (c) to which Part I of the Sex Offenders Act 1997 applies. [66990]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe assessments for home detention curfew are still ongoing. I will write to the hon. Member after 28 January, when this information is available.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners eligible to be considered for release on home detention curfew on 28 January are serving sentences as a result of convictions for offences(a) of violence, (b) of burglary and (c) to which Part I of the Sex Offenders Act 1997 applies. [67314]
§ Mr. George HowarthWe estimate that about 45 prisoners serving sentences as a result of convictions for violence, about 40 prisoners serving sentences as a result of convictions for burglary, and less than 10 prisoners serving sentences as a result of convictions to which Part I of the Sex Offenders Act 1997 applies, would, on 28 January, meet the eligibility criteria set out in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 for the home detention curfew scheme. However, no offender serving a sentence as a result of convictions for offences to which Part I of the Sex Offenders Act 1997 applies will be placed on a home detention curfew other than in exceptional circumstances and following the most rigorous enhanced risk assessment.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if offenders sentenced to three years imprisonment under the provisions of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 relating to minimum sentences for persistent burglars will be eligible for release on home detention curfew. [67142]
§ Mr. BoatengThose sentenced under the provisions of section 4 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 are not automatically excluded from being considered for the Home Detention Curfew scheme. However, Home Detention Curfew is not an entitlement, and only those prisoners who pass a risk assessment will be allowed on the scheme.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the prisoners to be released on 28 January under the home detention curfew78W provisions of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 have curfew conditions specifying (a) nine hours, (b) a period of between nine and 12 hours and (c) more than 12 hours as the period to which they are subject to a home detention curfew. [66987]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe information is not held centrally.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the prisoners to be released on 28 January under the home detention curfew provisions of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 are serving sentences of(a) three years and (b) more than three years imprisonment. [66991]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe assessments for home detention curfew are still ongoing. I will write to the hon. Member after 28 January, when this information is available.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the prisoners who are(a) to be released and (b) eligible for release on 28 January under the home detention curfew provisions of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 were serving sentences of six months' imprisonment. [67315]
§ Mr. George HowarthThese data will not be available until after 28 January. The likely numbers would be too small for a reliable estimate to be made on the basis of more global figures. I will write to the hon. Member after 28 January when this information is available.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long is spent in custody by(a) an offender serving a sentence of 10 weeks imprisonment and (b) an offender serving a sentence of three months imprisonment who is suitable for release on home detention curfew. [67312]
§ Mr. George HowarthA prisoner who is serving a sentence of ten weeks imprisonment would normally be entitled to automatic release once he had served half of that period. The period in custody may last, however, up to the full ten weeks if the prisoner is subject to additional days imposed by the prison governor for disciplinary offences.
An offender serving a sentence of three months imprisonment would normally be entitled to automatic release after serving half that period. If he were allowed home detention curfew, he could expect to spend 30 days in custody, and then serve the period until the halfway point of sentence on a curfew enforced by electronic monitoring. Home detention curfew is not an entitlement, and only those prisoners who pass a risk assessment will be allowed on the scheme. The period in custody may last up to the full three months in custody if the prisoner is subject to additional days imposed by the prison governor for disciplinary offences.