§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 24 May 1999,Official Report, column 30, on young offenders, for what reasons he will not seek funding from local education authorities for the education of young offenders who are in custody. [87640]
§ Mr. George HowarthIt would be extremely complex, costly and time consuming to seek funding from local education authorities for the education of young offenders who are in custody.
Young people are often in prison for a very short time and school budgets are set for the whole year, dependent generally on the number on roll in January.
§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 24 May 1999,Official Report, column 32, on education at Feltham Young Offenders' Unit, for what reasons the number of teaching hours purchased for 1999 is less than in 1998. [87643]
§ Mr. George HowarthAlthough there has been a small reduction of 105 in the number of teaching hours purchased for 1999, the number of education hours has not decreased. The new education contract which came into effect on 1 January 1999, allows the governor to also purchase testing and assessment of prisoners from the education contractor to ensure that education programmes are focused on their needs. 192 such hours will be purchased in 1999. Previously this assessment was included in the teaching hours.
§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of young juvenile and young offenders convicted of sexual offences are enrolled under a sex offender treatment programme; and what was the percentage in each of the last three years. [87621]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe information is not available in the form requested. However, the expected number of offenders under 21 convicted of sex offences who will complete an accredited sex offender treatment programme (SOTP) in 1999–2000 is 36.
The number of such offenders under 21 received into the prison system and the number of completions of a sex offender treatment programme by such offenders, are given in the table.
377W
Receptions of offenders under 21 convicted of sex offences Completions of SOTP by offenders under 21 in young offender institutions 1996–97 145 37 1997–98 191 48 1998–99 1196 48 1 Provisional
§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of young offenders and juveniles were held on remand in(a) Feltham young offenders' unit and (b) other young offenders' units for eight weeks or more in each of the last three years and in the period from November 1998 to May 1999. [87619]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe available information is given in the table.
Percentage of young offenders in Her Majesty's Offender Institution Remand Centre (HMYOI/RC) Feltham and other young offender institutions by length of time since first reception, 1996–99 Percentage Juveniles1 Young offenders2 Length of time since first remand into prison HMYOI/RC Feltham Others HMYOI/RC Feltham Others 30 June 1996 Up to 8 weeks 54 62 49 51 8 weeks or more 46 38 51 49 30 June 1997 Up to 8 weeks 59 61 46 53 8 weeks or more 41 39 54 47 30 June 1998 Up to 8 weeks 53 60 53 53 8 weeks or more 47 40 47 47 30 November 1998 Up to 8 weeks 57 60 52 52 8 weeks or more 43 40 48 48 30 April 19993 Up to 8 weeks 61 62 54 54 8 weeks or more 39 38 46 46 1 Persons aged 15–17 years 2 Persons aged 18–20 years 3 Latest available provisional figures
§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 24 May 1999,Official Report, column 30, on young offenders, when the revision of the selection criteria for staff working with offenders aged under 18 years will be completed; and if he will make a statement on the revised criteria. [87639]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe particular skills required by new entrant prison officers who will work with young offenders aged under 18 include, tolerance, commitment and the ability to deal with and positively influence the behaviour of young people. These requirements have been reflected in additions to the competence questionnaire which forms part of the application form and in additional exercises at the job simulation assessment centres used in the recruitment of prison officers.
378WThe recruitment process for new prison officers to work in the under 18 estate in preparation for the introduction of the Detention and Training Order in April 2000 began earlier this month, and incorporates these additional selection criteria.
§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what part education plays in rehabilitation programmes for young offenders and juveniles in young offenders' units. [87618]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe main thrust of the Prison Service education policy is the improvement of basic and key skills through the prison education core curriculum which includes basic skills, information technology, social and life skills and English for speakers of other languages. The curriculum's emphasis on improving the employability of young offenders and juveniles increases their rehabilitation prospects.
The Prison Service is a co-signatory to the National Framework Document to assist in the development of local agreements to improve the employment prospects of offenders.
§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the studies he has commissioned into rehabilitation programmes for juveniles and young offenders and the consequent recommendations he has made about such programmes. [87620]
§ Mr. BoatengThe Home Office has a long established policy of developing, implementing and evaluating rehabilitative programmes for young offenders, either directly or by commissioning them from outside bodies and academics.
A wide range of such programmes have been examined over a long period of time—including programmes addressing offender behaviour (for example sex and violence offenders), particular offender problems (for example drugs and alcohol abuse problems), educational and numerical deficits, social skills deficits, parenting and other offending issues.
As a result, the Home Office has concluded that the most effective rehabilitative interventions are those carefully matched to the particular needs of offenders, those which employ a cognitive-behavioural approach to their work, and those which are closely managed and delivered by well trained staff. Programme accreditation—ensuring that programmes have to meet (and continue to meet) an established body of criteria in order to be recognised as effective programmes (and which can be supported by the prison or probation services)—is also an established way of helping to ensure effectiveness.
Wherever possible, these principles inform the development of regimes and programmes for young offenders.