§ Mr. David Howellasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what comparisons his Department has made between the cost per week of keeping a man in prison and the cost of keeping him in a secure mental hospital.
§ Dr. Summerskill:Any comparison has to take account of the fact that prisons and secure mental hospitals have different 201W functions. It is estimated that, in the current financial year, the average cost of keeping a man in prison will be about £108 a week and the average cost of keeping a patient in a special hospital £171 a week. Both figures include central administrative charges.