§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the 10 prisons with the highest levels of overcrowding in the last year. [30496]
§ Miss WiddecombeResponsibility 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 Richard Tilt to Mr. Barry Sheerman, dated 19 June 1996:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question requesting a list of the ten prisons with the highest levels of overcrowding in the last year.Details of the ten prisons with the highest levels of overcrowding during 1995–96 are given in the attached table.
Table 1 Prison Peak overcrowding in year (percentage) Month peak occurred Average for year percentage Leicester 83 April 1995 58 Shrewsbury 74 January 1996 63 Exeter 71 November 1995 57 Chelmsford 65 February 1996 53 Durham 54 March 1996 47 Canterbury 53 November 1995 42 Swansea 53 March 1995 44 Preston 53 October 1995 41 Birmingham 50 April 1995 39 Lincoln 50 February 1996 36 Overcrowding has been calculated by dividing the population by the in use certified normal accommodation for each establishment.
At the end of May 1996, 15.5 per cent. of the population were held two to a cell designed for one, compared to 21 per cent. in April 1992.
'Trebling' (the holding of three prisoners in a cell designed for one) was eliminated in March 1994 and has not occurred at any time since then.