§ Stephen HesfordTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of individuals with dangerous severe personality disorder in(a) prison and (b) the general population; and what assessment he has made of trends in the number of people with DSPD. [82426]
§ Hilary BennI have been asked to reply.
We estimate that there are between 2,100 and 2,400 individuals who are dangerous as a result of a severe personality disorder (DSPD). The majority of these individuals will be in prison or a secure hospital. We estimate that at any one time 1,400 will be in prison and a further 400 will be detained on court orders under the legal category of psychopathic disorder in secure psychiatric hospitals. We also estimate that a further 300 to 600 men may be living in the community at any one time, of whom most will have been recently detained in prison or hospital.
There is no information currently available to make an assessment of likely trends in the number of people who are dangerous as a result of severe personality disorder in prison or the general population. However, the number of restricted patients detained in secure hospitals for a psychopathic disorder has remained around 400 for over 10 years.