HC Deb 13 June 1986 vol 99 c321W
Mr. Janner

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. and learned Member for Leicester, West of 4 June, if he will give the details as to how he reached the average figure of £256 as the average weekly cost of keeping a person in prison in England and Wales during the financial year 1984–85.

Mr. Mellor

The figure of £256 was obtained by putting together information from the prison department costing system about the operating costs of the prison service in the financial year 1984–85 with information about the average inmate population of penal establishments over the same period. A description of the costing system is given in chapter 2 of the report on the work of the prison department 1984–85, a copy of which is in the Library. Table D in appendix 2 to the report shows net operating costs, average inmate population and weekly cost per inmate by penal establishment and region.