§ Mrs. RocheTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average distance from home a prisoner was placed in the last year for which figures are available; what was the average in 1985; and what was the average in 1979.
§ Mr. Peter LloydResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Derek Lewis to Mrs. Barbara Roche, dated 17 May 1994:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the average distance from home a prisoner was placed in the last year for which figures are available.No information is held centrally on the distance prisoners are placed from home. However, the National Prison Survey, conducted in January and February 1991, asked prisoners who had received a visit in the three months prior to interview how far their most important visitor had to travel to visit them. The average distance, for all most important visitors, was 62 miles. No information is available for the years 1985 or 1979.The National Prison Survey had a total sample of almost 4,000 offenders. The findings of the survey, including the information given above, have been published as "The National Prison Survey 1991: main findings", Home Office Research Study No. 128.