HC Deb 09 February 1998 vol 306 c24W
Mr. Clappison

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Castle Point (Mrs. Butler) of 22 January 1998,Official Report, columns 639–40, (1) if he will publish the available evaluation in respect of the relative effectiveness of the experimental regime at Colchester Young Offenders Institution against other initiatives; and with which initiatives the experimental regime at Colchester Young Offenders Institution has been compared; [26289]

(2) how many offenders have passed through the programme at Colchester Young Offenders Institution experimental regime; and how many of these reoffended following their release; [26299]

(3) if he will give an analysis of his costings of a place (a) in the experimental regime at Colchester Young Offenders Institution, (b) at Thorn Cross Young Offenders Institution and (c) in a typical young offenders institution. [26288]

(4) what is the average rate of reoffending for offenders aged 17 to 21 years on release from (a)young offenders institutions, (b) Thorn Cross Young Offenders Institution experimental regime and (c) Colchester Young Offenders Institution experimental regime; [26296]

Ms Quin

At 20 January 1998, 36 young offenders had completed their sentence at Colchester Young Offender Institution, and information to date indicates that, of those, one is known to have been reconvicted. The reconviction rates for Colchester and Thorn Cross will not be available for some time. Home Office statistics indicate that 73 per cent, of male young offenders (ages 17–20) who were discharged in 1993 were reconvicted within two years. The cost per place is based on dividing the running costs by the certified normal accommodation (CNA) for the establishment. The CNA for Colchester, Thorn Cross High Intensity Training and a typical Young Offender Institution are 32, 72 and 363 respectively.

It is our intention to publish the study of the experimental regime at Colchester Young Offender Institution carried out by the Institute of Criminology at the University of Cambridge when it is complete.