§ Mr. Alex CarlileTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners completed (i) programmes accredited as being effective in reducing reoffending and (ii) the sex offender treatment programme in the last financial year; and if he will make a statement. [33439]
§ 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. Alex Carlile, dated 20 June 1996:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about how many prisoners have completed (i) programmes accredited as being effective in reducing reoffending and (ii) the sex offender treatment programme in the last financial year.For the year ending 31 March 1996, 406 prisoners completed the core module of the sex offender treatment programme (SOTP) while a further 33 completed the SOTP booster programme (designed for men about to be released from very long sentences).746 prisoners completed cognitive skills programmes, 115 of these being the reasoning and rehabilitation programme and 631 being the in-house thinking skills.546WIn order to meet the criteria set for programmes to be accredited the standards of existing programmes have had to be improved. Although this work has been completed it is too early to say how many prisoners have commenced running the enhanced programmes or provide numbers for completion.