§ Mr. Pendryasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of the 20 detention centres in England and Wales in reducing crime rates and reoffending.
§ Mr. Mellor[pursuant to his reply, 1 August 1984 c. 324]: Information on the reconviction rates for offenders discharged from detention centres and other custodial institutions is published annually in chapter 8 of "Prison Statistics for England and Wales." It is not possible from available information to evaluate the effect of detention centres on crime rates in isolation from that of other sentencing measures available to the courts, or wider social factors.
For young offenders on whom the courts consider it necessary to impose a custodial sentence, detention centres provide a brisk and disciplined regime appropriation to a sentence of four months or less. In answer to a Question from my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Warrington, South (Mr. Carlisle) on 24 July, [Vol. 64, c. 578–580], the Home Secretary announced a programme to establish an improved regime at all detention centres.