§ Mr. John Evansasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the official complement of individuals, male and female, at Risley Remand Centre, Warrington.
§ Dr. SummerskillThe certified normal accommodation at Risley Remand Centre is for 559 males and 91 females.
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§ Mr. John Evansasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average number of individuals, male and female, detained at Risley Remand Centre, Warrington, for each of the last six months, up to the latest available date.
§ Dr. SummerskillThe information in respect of the last six months of 1974 is as follows:
Males Females July 696 102 August 723 98 September 786 105 October 731 110 November 758 122 December 707 114
§ Mr. John Evansasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sentenced females are at present detained at Risley Remand Centre, Warrington, awaiting transfer to women's prisons; and what is the average waiting time before transfer.
§ Dr. SummerskillOn 22nd January there were 38 sentenced females at Risley Remand Centre awaiting transfer. At present the average waiting time before transfer is between two and three weeks.
§ Mr. John Evansasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what top security detention facilities are available at Risley Remand Centre, Warrington, for individuals, male and female, held on remand charged with serious crimes.
§ Dr. SummerskillFacilities exist at Risley Remand Centre for holding a number of male and female unconvicted prisoners in the highest security category. It would not be in the public interest to give further details.
§ Mr. John Evansasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals, male and female, aged 16 year of age and under, are at present detained in Risley Remand Centre, Risley, Warrington, (a) on remand and (b) serving custodial sentences; and what is the average length of the sentences.
§ Dr. SummerskillOn 22nd January there were 47 males and 4 females aged 14 to 16 unsentenced at Risley Remand Centre. There was one female aged 16 sentenced to borstal training.
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§ Mr. John Evansasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what special facilities have been built, or provided, at Risley Remand Centre, for detaining young people, made and female, under the provisions of the Children and Young Persons Act 1969;
(2) how many qualified teachers are attached to Risley Remand Centre, Warrington, for the purpose of educating young people detained under the Children and Young Persons Act 1969; and what is the average size of class;
(3) which magistrates' panels are sending young people to Risley Remand Centre, Warrington, because of shortage of facilities within their own local government area;
(4) what facilities exist at Risley Remand Centre, Warrington, for segregating young people, male and female, sentenced under provisions of the Children and Young Persons Act 1969, from young people, male and female who are remanded in custody under that Act;
(5) what facilities exist at Risley Remand Centre, Warrington, for segregating young people male and female, who are detained under provisions of the Children and Young Persons Act from adults male and female, who are remanded in custody there;
(6) what communal dining facilities are available at Risley Remand Centre, Warrington, for males and females who are remanded there;
(7) what communal dining facilities are available at Risley Remand Centre, Warrington, for young people, male and female, who are sentenced or on remand.
(8) what additional facilities are planned for Risley Remand Centre, Risley, Warrington, for the detention of young people, male and female, under the Children and Young Persons Act 1969; and when building work will commence;
(9) if the young people detained at Risley Remand Centre under the provisions of the Children and Young Persons Act 1969 are receiving full-time education in accordance with all the provisions of the Education Act 1944.
§ Dr. SummerskillSection 23 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1969 provides that a person under 17 remanded or committed for trial who is not given bail shall be committed to the care of282W the local authority unless a court certifies that he is so unruly that he cannot be safely committed to such care. The committal in custody of a young person aged 14 and under 17 in these circumstances and under Section 28 of the Magistrates' Courts Act 1952 after committal to the Crown court with a view to a borstal sentence must be to a prison or remand centre. Under the terms of section 53 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 a young person after being found guilty of certain serious offences may also be located in the first place in a remand centre, if the Secretary of State so directs.
For males, Risley provides remand centre facilities for courts in the whole of the north-west of England, parts of North Wales and the North Midlands; for females it serves courts in an area extending as far south as Leicestershire, the whole of North Wales, most of the Midlands—except Birmingham—and South and West Yorkshire.
Although the accommodation for young persons at Risley is intended primarily for persons aged 17 and under 21, it provides special facilities for those young persons under 17 who are sent to it by the courts. One complete building, and one landing segregated from the other parts of another building are used solely for accommodating males under the age of 21. Boys under school leaving age are located on one landing of the self-contained building and, so far as possible, they are not allowed to associate with older young persons. There is virtually no contact between males under 21 and males over this age. There is less segregation of females, but those aged 14 are accommodated in the hospital, and other female young persons do not normally share sleeping accommodation with adults. The sentenced male prisoners who provide the domestic work force are accommodated separately from all other prisoners. Those prisoners who are convicted but unsentenced—including those young persons committed with a view to a borstal sentence—are accommodated with unconvicted adults or young persons according to their age.
There are no communal dining facilities for male adult unsentenced prisoners. All male young persons under 17 dine communally. About half the females dine communally each day.
283WOne senior education officer, 2 full-time teachers and 3 part-time teachers appointed with the approval of the local education authority provide full-time education for young persons below school leaving age, who also receive daily physical education. The average size of class is 13.
A new education block is planned for the use of young persons at Risley. No other additions to the existing accommodation for them are under consideration at present. As more secure accommodation becomes available in observation and assessment centres within the community home system, it is to be hoped that fewer juveniles will need to be committed to remand centres by the courts.