§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he has any estimate of the number of children belonging to the women in prison at the latest available date;
(2) if he has any estimate of the number of children currently taken into care because of the imprisonment of their mother.
§ Mr. MellorThis information is not kept centrally and reliable estimates could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women are currently in prison with their children, where they are located, what are the ages of the children, and what were the offences for which the mothers were charged or convicted.
§ Mr. MellorOn 12 October 1984, the latest date for which this information is available, there were 20 women in custody with their children. Six were in Styal, of whom646W four had been convicted of drugs-related offences, one for wounding and one for burglary. Their children's ages ranged from three days to 18 weeks. Eight were in Askam Grange, of whom four had been convicted of deception, two of theft, one of supplying drugs and one of manslaughter. Their children's ages ranged from six weeks to 14 months. Six were in Holloway, of whom three had been convicted of the importation of drugs, two of theft and one of arson. Their children's ages ranged from three days to eight months.
§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many pregnant women are currently in prison; where they are located; whether they are on remand or serving a sentence; and what are the offences for which they have been charged or convicted.
§ Mr. MellorForty-four in custody on 12 October 1984 were known to be pregnant. Ten were on remand: two in Pucklechurch, two in Risley and six in Holloway. Thirty-four were sentenced: one in Low Newton, three in Drake Hall, four in Holloway, 12 in Askham Grange and 14 in Styal. The main offences with which these 44 women were charged or convicted were: theft (16), burglary (6), deception (3), drugs-related offences (3), customs evasion (2), forgery (2), arson, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, failure to comply with a community service order, conspiracy, criminal damage, conspiracy to defraud, false representations, forgery, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, perjury, handling of stolen goods, breach of a suspended sentence and wounding.
§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women who gave birth while in prison awaiting trial or sentence in 1983 and so far in 1984 were (a) acquitted and (b) given non-custodial sentences; how long each had been in custody; and what were the offences with which they were charged or convicted.
§ Mr. MellorI am advised that information about the outcome of court proceedings is available in respect of 13 of the 14 unsentenced women who gave birth whilst in custody between 1 January 1983 and 12 October 1984, as follows. One was acquitted of manslaughter after one month in custody and one acquitted of a drugs-related offence after six months in custody. Two were convicted of burglary and soliciting and given non-custodial sentences, both after two months in custody. Two received hospital orders after three and a half and four and a half months in custody after convictions for arson and deception respectively. Seven were given custodial sentences after one and a half, four, four and a half, five, six, eight and 12½ months in custody. Their convictions related to the handling of stolen goods, theft, drugs-related offences, burglary, robbery and murder.
§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women who gave birth to babies in 1983 and so far in 1984 were (a) serving a prison sentence, (b) in borstal, (c) awaiting trial or sentence in custody; and if any children were born in prison.
§ Mr. MellorOf the 121 women who gave birth whilst in custody in the period 1 January 1983 to 12 October 1984, 80 were serving terms of imprisonment and 27 were serving sentences or borstal training or youth custody: 14 were awaiting trial or sentence. All but one was in an outside hospital at the time of delivery.