§ Mrs. Bridget PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the average length of time that women have been held on remand in prisons in England and Wales since 1985.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe latest information is given in the table.
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Average time spent in custody by female untried and convicted unsentenced prisoners in Prison Service establishments, 1985–91 Year Average Number of Days in Custody Untried Prisoners1 3 Convicted Unsentenced Prisoners2 3 1985 41 26 1986 44 24 1987 45 25 1988 51 27 1989 44 32 1990 40 26 41991 40 32 1Time spent in Prison Service establishments before conviction. 2Time spent in Prison Service establishments after conviction. 3Averages are subject to wide variation because of the small populations on which they are based.
4Data for 1991 is provisional.
These figures are published annually in "Prison Statistics, England and Wales", chapter 2, table 2.1, of the volume for 1990, Cm 1800.
§ Mrs. Bridget PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women are currently being held on remand in prisons(a) in England and Wales and (b) in London.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe table shows how many unsentenced females were in prison service establishments on 19 January. Of these Holloway prison is the only establishment in London.
Establishment Number Holloway 200 Low Newton 13 New Hall 32 Pucklechurch 28 Risley 63 TOTAL 336 The numbers shown cover all females, both adults and young persons, remanded in custody by magistrates courts, committed for trial to the Crown court and convicted but not sentenced.
§ Mrs. Bridget PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of women held on remand in prisons in England and Wales since 1985 have been acquitted of the charges for which they were held in detention.
§ Mr. JackIt is estimated that about 17 per cent. of females held in custody on remand since 1985 have subsequently been acquitted.