§ Lord Marlesfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Criminal Record Office number of a convicted person given a custodial sentence is recorded on the computer system which is used in prisons in England and Wales and whether there is any method in that prison computer system of linking the records of a prisoner newly admitted to custody with earlier records if the person concerned has previously served a custodial sentence.
Earl FerrersResponsibility for the subject of this Question has been delegated to the Prison Service and its Director General, Mr. Derek Lewis. The Director General has therefore responded to the Question and his letter is given below.
Letter to Lord Marlesford from the Director General of the Prison Service, Mr. Derek Lewis, dated 9 May 1994:
Lord Ferrers has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the recording of Criminal Record Office numbers by computer in prisons in England and Wales.
The Criminal Record Office number is stored in both central and local elements of the inmate information computer system (IIS) used in prisons in England and Wales.
A separate prison service record (paper and computer) is created for each period of continuous custody, which may involve one or more sentences and includes time on remand as well as time serving a sentence. That period is identified by a prison number.
The local computer system in each prison contains details relevant to the person's current period of 77WA custody. The central system contains details of previous periods of custody and those records can be linked where a positive identification is practicable.