§ Mr. Hunterasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was the number of young offenders sentenced to short, sharp shock detention since such centres were established; and what is the latest available number for the current year;
(2) what was the average length of a period of detention for offenders under the short, sharp shock regime;
(3) what is the number of offenders who have been sentenced to a second period of detention under the short, sharp shock regime;
(4) what is the number of offenders who have been sentenced to (a) a third and (b) more than three periods of detention, under the short, sharp shock régime;
(5) if he will list all detention centres operating the short, sharp shock regime.
§ Mr. HurdThe tougher régimes pilot project was implemented at Send and New Hall detention centres on 21 April 1980 and at Foston Hall and Haslar detention centres on 7 September 1981. Between the end of April 1980 and 31 December 1983 about 7,800 young offenders ordered to be detained in a detention centre had been received into centres operating tougher régimes. Figures for 1984 are not yet available. The average time spent under sentence by offenders received into centres operating tougher régimes and discharged by the end of January 1984 was about seven and a half weeks for those sentenced before 24 May 1983 and about six weeks for those sentenced on or after 24 May 1983. (With the implementation on 24 May 1983 of part I of the Criminal Justice Act 1982, the maximum detention centre sentence was reduced from six months to four months and the minimum from three months to three weeks; remission for trainees aged under 17 when sentenced changed from one half to one third, thus coming into line with that for trainees aged 17 or over when sentenced; and remand time has counted against detention centre sentences.) The pilot project is the subject of an evaluation, which covers reconvictions analysis, whose results will be made public.