§ Ann ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the level of overcrowding in women's prisons. [19285]
§ Ms QuinThere are two measures of overcrowding: prisoners held two to a cell designed for one and prisoners held above the designated uncrowned capacity.
158 female prisoners were held two to a cell designed for one at four prisons at the end of October 1997: 60 at Cookham Wood; 56 at Low Newton; 10 at Risley; and 32 at Winchester.
The Prison Service also uses the concept of Certified Normal Accommodation (CNA) to define the uncrowded capacity of an establishment. Expressing the actual population as a percentage of the CNA can be used as a measure of occupancy. This measure takes into account all types of accommodation including single and double cells, rooms and dormitories.
The table shows the CNA of female establishments and the population on 28 November 1997.
255W
Prison CNA Prisoners Percentage Askham Grange 130 130 100 Brockhill 159 116 73 Bullwood Hall 126 138 110 Cookham Wood 120 150 125 Drake Hall 281 275 98 Durham (Female Unit) 47 45 96 East Sutton Park 94 99 105 Eastwood Park 135 122 90 Foston Hall 150 132 88 High Point (Female Unit) 207 201 97 Holloway 517 517 100 Low Newton (Female Unit) 49 71 145 New Hall 327 362 90 Risley (Female Unit) 155 158 101 Styal 284 285 100 Winchester (Female Unit) 82 80 97 Total 2,863 2,881 101