HC Deb 28 November 2000 vol 357 cc518-27W
Mr. Jim Cunningham

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what health services and support are available to young people(a) sentenced and (b) remanded in custody; and what specialist mental health services are available to repeat young offenders. [139320]

Mr. Boateng

[holding answer 23 November 2000]: I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East (Dr. Kumar) on 6 July 2000, Official Report, column 297W.

Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list by police authority area how many(a) 15, (b) 16 and (c) l7-year-olds were given custodial sentences in each of the last 10 years; and if he will give the length of sentences given; [140617]

(2) if he will list by police authority area how many (a) 15, (b) 16 and (c) 17-year-olds were on remand in each of the last 10 years; and how many went on to serve a prison sentence. [140618]

Mr. Charles Clarke

Information, taken from the Home Office Court Proceedings database, on the number of young offenders given custodial sentences by length of sentence is given in the tables. Due to disproportionate costs selected years only are given.

Data on remands are of insufficient quality to meet the request.

Table A: Number of young offenders aged 15, 16 and 17 given custodial sentence for indictable offences by length of sentence and police force area, 1990
Age and police force area Total immediate custody1 4 months and under Over 4 months and to 6 months Over 6 months and up to 1 year Over 1 year and up to 18 months Over 18 months and up to 2 years Over 2 years 3 years
Age 15
Avon and Somerset 12 11 1
Bedfordshire 6 2 2 2
Cambridgeshire 2 1 1
Cheshire 7 5 2
City of London
Cleveland 17 13 3 1
Cumbria 8 7 1
Derbyshire 7 2 3 2
Devon and Cornwall 6 5
Dorset 1 1
Durham 14 5 7 1 1
Essex 9 4 2 2
Gloucestershire
Greater Manchester 45 30 13 2
Hampshire 5 5
Hertfordshire 8 6 2
Humberside 12 5 3 3
Kent 3 2 1
Lancashire 17 10 3 3 1
Leicestershire 6 3 1 1 1
Lincolnshire 9 4 2 3
Merseyside 10 7 2
Metropolitan police 46 29 4 5 1 3
Norfolk 4 1 2 1
North Yorkshire 2 2
Northamptonshire
Northumbria 21 14 5 2
Nottinghamshire 14 9 1 2 1 1
South Yorkshire 11 9 1 1
Staffordshire 14 9 2 1 2
Suffolk 2 1 1
Surrey 1 1
Sussex 7 2 4 1
Thames Valley 1 1
Warwickshire 5 3 2
West Mercia 8 4 1 1 2
West Midlands 35 18 9 2 1 1
West Yorkshire 30 20 6 1 1 1
Wiltshire 1 1
Dyfed Powys 5 5
Gwent 6 4 2
North Wales 3 1 1
South Wales 21 11 8 2
England and Wales 441 272 87 43 1 6 18

Age and police force area Over 3 years and up to 4 years Over 4 years and up to 5 years Over 5 years and up to 7 years Over 7 years and up to 10 years Over 10 years Life Sec 53(1) Average sentence length (months)
Age 15
Avon and Somerset 2.4
Bedfordshire 6.2
Cambridgeshire 21.0
Cheshire 3.8
City of London
Cleveland 3.5
Cumbria 3.9
Derbyshire 14.4
Devon and Cornwall 1 22.1
Dorset 3.0
Durham 7.1
Essex 1 10.8
Gloucestershire
Greater Manchester 3.9
Hampshire 3.3
Hertfordshire 8.1
Humberside 1 9.7
Kent 4.6
Lancashire 5.3
Leicestershire 9.2
Lincolnshire 5.8

Age and police force area Over 3 years and up to 4 years Over 4 years and up to 5 years Over 5 years and up to 7 years Over 7 years and up to 10 years Over 10 years Life Sec 53(1) Average sentence length (months)
Merseyside 1 9.0
Metropolitan police 3 1 9.8
Norfolk 6.8
North Yorkshire 3.5
Northamptonshire
Northumbria 6.6
Nottinghamshire 7.7
South Yorkshire 3.6
Staffordshire 8.0
Suffolk 19.5
Surrey 1.9
Sussex 5.7
Thames Valley 2.0
Warwickshire 6.2
West Mercia 10.2
West Midlands 2 2 11.6
West Yorkshire 1 7.8
Wiltshire 3.0
Dyfed Powys 3.2
Gwent 4.0
North Wales 1 18.0
South Wales 4.5
England and Wales 7 5 1 1 7.4

Age and police force area Total immediate custody1 4 months and under Over 4 months and to 6 months Over 6 months and up to 1 year Over 1 year and up to 18 months Over 18 months and up to 2 years Over 2 years 3 years
Age 16
Avon and Somerset 15 11 4
Bedfordshire 16 9 4 3
Cambridgeshire 9 2 4 1 1 1
Cheshire 19 8 7 2
City of London
Cleveland 34 17 12 3 1 1
Cumbria 9 3 2 2 1
Derbyshire 18 2 3 11 1
Devon and Cornwall 20 15 3 2
Dorset 2 2
Durham 23 9 7 6 1
Essex 12 4 3 3 2
Gloucestershire 1 1
Greater Manchester 70 31 28 6 1 4
Hampshire 21 11 8 1 1
Hertfordshire 14 5 5 3 1
Humberside 27 5 11 8 1 2
Kent 3 1 1
Lancashire 20 13 5 1
Leicestershire 23 14 3 6
Lincolnshire 9 3 1 1 2
Merseyside 27 12 9 6
Metropolitan police 141 69 33 22 4 6
Norfolk 8 7 1
North Yorkshire 10 9 1
Northamptonshire 4 2 1 1
Northumbria 35 15 16 1 3
Nottinghamshire 35 12 9 7 2 1
South Yorkshire 40 22 7 4 3 1
Staffordshire 28 13 8 6 1
Suffolk 5 2 2
Surrey 4 2 2
Sussex 11 8 2 1
Thames Valley 20 12 5 2 1
Warwickshire 7 4 1 2
West Mercia 13 8 1 3 1
West Midlands 101 55 23 18 2 1
West Yorkshire 64 36 15 9 3
Wiltshire 5 4 1
Dyfed Powys 5 2 2 1
Gwent 12 10 2
North Wales 11 4 4 1 2
South Wales 29 13 11 3 2
England and Wales 980 487 261 147 29 30

Age and police force area Over 3 years and up to 4 years Over 4 years and up to 5 years Over 5 years and up to 7 years Over 7 years and up to 10 years Over 10 years Life Sec 53(1) Average sentence length (months)
Age 16
Avon and Somerset 3.4
Bedfordshire 4.9
Cambridgeshire 11.3
Cheshire 1 1 1 6.8
City of London
Cleveland 5.9
Cumbria 1 12.3
Derbyshire 1 11.6
Devon and Cornwall 4.2
Dorset 2.0
Durham 6.4
Essex 10.2
Gloucestershire 3.0
Greater Manchester 6.7
Hampshire 6.0
Hertfordshire 6.9
Humberside —` 9.3
Kent 1 18.2
Lancashire 1 1 4.5
Leicestershire 5.2
Lincolnshire 1 1 22.0
Merseyside 5.9
Metropolitan police 2 1 1 3 3 7.6
Norfolk 2.2
North Yorkshire 2.8
Northamptonshire 5.8
Northumbria 7.3
Nottinghamshire 2 1 1 13.7
South Yorkshire 1 2 2 7.9
Staffordshire 6.3
Suffolk 1 15.1
Surrey 6.8
Sussex 3.7
Thames Valley 5.9
Warwickshire 5.3
West Mercia 6.5
West Midlands 1 1 1 6.1
West Yorkshire 1 6.1
Wiltshire 3.5
Dyfed Powys 10.0
Gwent 6.3
North Wales 8.5
South Wales 6.7
England and Wales 11 4 3 8 8 7.1

Age and police force area Total immediate custody1 4 months and under Over 4 months and to 6 months Over 6 months and up to 1 year Over 1 year and up to 18 months Over 18 months and up to 2 years Over 2 years 3 years
Age 17
Avon and Somerset 32 15 5 8 1 1 2
Bedfordshire 30 9 5 7 6 1
Cambridgeshire 14 7 1 4 2
Cheshire 45 11 12 17 3 2
City of London
Cleveland 67 28 8 18 5 3 2
Cumbria 39 20 8 7 1 2 1
Derbyshire 45 13 6 15 7 4
Devon and Cornwall 37 19 6 6 2 4
Dorset 14 9 2 2 1
Durham 43 20 5 9 3 2 3
Essex 36 12 8 6 6 1 1
Gloucestershire 10 4 2 2 1 1
Greater Manchester 183 79 43 40 7 2 9
Hampshire 31 16 7 5 1 2
Hertfordshire 29 11 4 7 3 4
Humberside 78 26 17 11 15 5 2
Kent 39 12 6 11 4 3 3
Lancashire 78 26 18 21 7 4
Leicestershire 53 16 16 10 5 4 2
Lincolnshire 25 12 4 1 5 1 1
Merseyside 69 30 14 16 4 4
Metropolitan police 266 87 42 65 24 16 15

Age and police force area Total immediate custody1 4 months and under Over 4 months and to 6 months Over 6 months and up to 1 year Over 1 year and up to 18 months Over 18 months and up to 2 years Over 2 years 3 years
Norfolk 18 9 3 4 2
North Yorkshire 23 12 7 1 2
Northamptonshire 27 5 3 14 4 1
Northumbria 83 32 28 11 8 2 2
Nottinghamshire 102 22 18 25 17 3 13
South Yorkshire 83 29 22 20 5 3 2
Staffordshire 53 18 10 14 6 1 4
Suffolk 18 5 5 3 4
Surrey 7 4 3
Sussex 27 9 3 8 1 2
Thames Valley 46 13 4 15 10 3 1
Warwickshire 20 4 3 6 5 2
West Mercia 43 19 6 8 5 3 2
West Midlands 224 80 41 57 27 12 5
West Yorkshire 113 25 22 35 16 3 7
Wiltshire 10 5 4 1
Dyfed Powys 8 1 5 2
Gwent 20 6 8 3 1 1
North Wales 24 9 8 3 2 1 1
South Wales 81 29 17 10 9 4 10
England and Wales 2,293 818 459 522 237 97 104

Age and police force area Over 3 years and up to 4 years Over 4 years and up to 5 years Over 5 years and up to 7 years Over 7 years and up to 10 years Over 10 years Life Sec 53(1) Average sentence length (months)
Age 17
Avon and Somerset 8.0
Bedfordshire 1 1 12.0
Cambridgeshire 9.9
Cheshire 8.1
City of London
Cleveland 1 1 1 11.2
Cumbria 6.8
Derbyshire 9.6
Devon and Cornwall 8.4
Dorset 5.6
Durham 10.4
Essex 2 11.0
Gloucestershire 10.7
Greater Manchester 2 1 8.3
Hampshire 7.0
Hertfordshire 11.0
Humberside 1 1 1 9.7
Kent 11.0
Lancashire 2 9.2
Leicestershire 9.0
Lincolnshire 1 9.7
Merseyside 1 7.8
Metropolitan police 10 4 1 2 1 12.2
Norfolk 6.1
North Yorkshire 1 8.9
Northamptonshire 9.3
Northumbria 7.3
Nottinghamshire 2 1 1 13.6
South Yorkshire 2 8.6
Staffordshire 9.6
Suffolk 1 10.9
Surrey 4.0
Sussex 1 2 1 16.1
Thames Valley 10.5
Warwickshire 11.2
West Mercia 9.2
West Midlands 2 9.2
West Yorkshire 4 1 12.5
Wiltshire 7.2
Dyfed Powys 6.8
Gwent 1 10.0
North Wales 7.6
South Wales 1 1 12.0
England and Wales 32 14 4 2 4 2 10.0
1Immediate custody includes detention in a young offender institution and under s53 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933

Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each young offenders' institution, how many(a) suicides and (b) incidents of self-harm have been recorded since 1989. [140670]

Mr. Boateng

I will write to my hon. Friend.

Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of trends over the last 10 years of diagnosable mental health disorders among(a) young prisoners on remand and (b) sentenced young offenders. [140619]

Mr. Boateng

There have been three studies of the prevalence of mental disorder in the prison population of England and Wales published since 1990. Two were undertaken for the Home Office/Prison Service by the Institute of Psychiatry.

The first, for which the fieldwork was done in 1988–89, surveyed mental ill-health among sentenced prisoners and the fieldwork for the second study, of the unsentenced population, was completed in 1993–94. A third study, of psychiatric morbidity among the whole prison population of England and Wales, was undertaken in 1997 for the Department of Health by the Office for National Statistics. The report of this third study was published in 1998, and a further more detailed analysis of the data relating to young offenders followed in October 2000.

The very considerable differences in methodology between the first two studies and the third mean that it is not easy to make simple comparisons. I shall therefore write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of the correspondence in the Library.