§ Bob SpinkTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the number of prisoners who share a cell designed for one person. [133865]
§ Paul GogginsAs at 30 September 2003, 22.5 per cent. of the prisoner population were sharing two to a cell designed for one. This Equates to 16,552 prisoners. The data are provisional and subject to validation by establishments.
The Prison Service keeps the impact of population pressures—including overcrowding on prisoners in all prisons—under careful review. The Government's programme of building and refurbishment will increase the Prison Service's capacity to 78,700 by 2006, including the provision of around 3,000 additional places in existing prisons by 2006. In addition, a new 115W unit opened recently at Birmingham prison, six months ahead of schedule, and this will offer a further 452 places.
A further 1,290 places will be provided by the new prisons currently under construction at Ashford (near Heathrow) and Peterborough. scheduled to open in June 2004 and March 2005 respectively.
The Government's programme of building and refurbishment will increase the Prison Service's capacity to 78,700 by 2006. A new unit opened recently at Birmingham prison, six months ahead of schedule, and this will offer 452 places. A further 1.290 places will be provided by the new prisons currently under construction at Ashford (near Heathrow) and Peterborough, scheduled to open in June 2004 and March 2005 respectively.
§ Mr. SteinbergTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were in(a) open and (b) closed prisons in each of the last five years, broken down by sex. [135653]
§ Paul GogginsThe information on the number of prisoners in open and closed prisons in each of the last five years, broken down by sex, is given in the table.
Total open Total closed Male prison population as at 30 June 1999 3,801 57,521 2000 3,719 58,120 2001 3,490 59,200 2002 4,026 62,798 2003 4,496 64,566 Female prison population as at 30 June 1999 418 2,789 2000 345 3,010 2001 449 3,264 2002 506 3,888 2003 524 4,071
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effect of the Prison Service's strategies to reduce suicides in reducing the number of self-inflicted deaths. [136257]
§ Paul GogginsReducing the rate of self-inflicted deaths in prison establishments is an essential part of the Prison Service's decency agenda and a priority for Ministers. The three-year safer custody strategy to develop policies and practices to reduce prisoner suicide and manage self-harm in prisons, implemented from April 2001, is currently under review. Account is being taken of emerging findings from practitioners and in-house and external researchers, and the views of a wide range of practitioners and external interests. I will be announcing the results of this work and next steps in spring 2004.
A team from the University of Cambridge is measuring the impact of the Safer Locals Programme (essentially in six pilot establishments) on the quality of prison life, and investigating possible links between these measures and rates of suicide and self-harm. Interim results indicate that the focus of the strategy on 116W the early period in custody, on local prisons, on high-risk prisoners with mental health and drug problems in particular, are the right ones.
A team from Manchester and London Universities is also evaluating elements of the Safer Locals Programme, particularly a workstream called the Care of At-Risk Prisoners project, health care provision, and detoxification services. Additionally, researchers from the Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science were commissioned to evaluate the impact of safer cells on suicide and self-harm. The evaluation included observations, interviews and focus groups with prisoners and staff in six prisons. The report, presented in August 2003, concluded that the safer cells programme has much to commend it and recommended that the programme continue.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of reasons other than overcrowding for the suicide rate in prisons. [136258]
§ Paul GogginsThe rate of self-inflicted deaths in prisons was 147.4 per 100,000 prisoners (at the end of 2002–03). This high rate appears to be mainly a product of two factors: greater throughput of prisoners at a time of population increase and greater (but not easily quantifiable) numbers of prisoners in high risk categories. The effects of overcrowding and throughput include more prisoners being located further from home, thereby affecting their access to familial/social support; prisons handling large and variable numbers of prisoners, often arriving late in the day, which reduces the time staff can spend with individual prisoners on care and risk assessment; and an increase in the length of time prisoners are locked in their cells, rather than engaged in purposeful activity.
Emerging research from the evaluation of the Prison Service's safer custody strategy suggests that the suicide rate in an establishment may correlate with levels of psychological distress. This distress is affected by prisoners' perceptions of safety, their experiences of entering custody and their level of psychological, emotional and physical well-being upon entry to the establishment.
The general prison population contains a very large number of prisoners who, when they enter custody, are struggling to cope with a wide range of difficult issues, including drug and/or alcohol abuse, family background and relationship problems, social disadvantage or isolation, previous sexual or physical abuse, and mental health problems. Studies suggest that 90 per cent. of all prisoners have shown evidence of at least one of the following: personality disorder, psychosis, neurosis, alcohol misuse and drug dependence. These factors increase their likelihood of self-harm. It has been found that 27 per cent. of men and 44 per cent. of women on remand report having attempted suicide in their lifetime.
§ Mr. OatenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the estimated expenditure for the(a) prison and (b) probation services will be for financial year 2004–05. [135995]
117W
§ Paul GogginsThe budgets for 2004–05 have not yet been finalised. Table two and three in section 6 of the Home Office Annual Departmental Report 2003 provide details of the Home Office resource and capital spending plans, which include figures for both the prison and probation services in 2004–05.
§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were held in the north west in each year since 1992. [134900]
§ Paul GogginsThe population held in Prison Service establishments in the north west region from 1992 to 2003 is given in the following table.
Total prison population, north west region, as at 30 June Number of prisoners 1992 5,397 1993 5,960 1994 6,329 1995 6,701 1996 7,707 1997 8,805 1998 9,469 1999 9,080 2000 9,586 2001 9,835 2002 10,810 2003 11,184 Prison Service establishments in the north west region are:
- Altcourse
- Forest Bank
- Liverpool
- Manchester
- Buckley Hall
- Risley
- Hindley
- Thorn Cross
- Lancaster Farms
- Preston
- Garth
- Haverigg
- Wymott
- Kirkham
- Lancaster
- Styal