§ Mr. McGradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many individuals now serving a sentence in Hydebank Wood Young Offenders center(a) were victims of punishment beatings and (b) were classed as exiles prior to being detained in the center. [163604]
§ Mr. PearsonThe Northern Ireland Prison Service does not collect data in the manner requested above. This is due to the fact that many inmates refuse to disclose the level of threat to which they have been subject; nor do we have any information on 'exiles'.
The only information available to us is from a survey of the inmate population of Hydebank Wood, conducted in March 2004 by representatives from Queens University Belfast. In the course of this survey they did receive responses from the inmates regarding their experiences of violence and threats.
Out of a sample size of 187 inmates the following was obtained:
Inmates were asked:
576WHave you ever been threatened or assaulted by paramilitaries"
- 59.4 per cent. said that they had been threatened.
- 51 per cent. said that they had been assaulted.
The inmates were asked a supplementary question:
and in the last year, were you threatened or assaulted by paramilitaries".
- 12.8 per cent. said that they had been threatened in the last year.
- 7 per cent. said that they had been assaulted in the last year.
- 23.5 per cent. said that they had been threatened and assaulted in the last year.
The inmates were finally asked:
By which grouping, Loyalist or Republican"
- 21 per cent. (39 people) said they had been threatened or assaulted by Loyalists in the last year
- 21 per cent. (39 people) said that they had been threatened or assaulted by Republicans in the last year.
- 1 per cent. (two people) said that they had been threatened or assaulted by both groups in the last year.