§ Mr. DismoreTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by how much the reconviction rate has changed since the introduction of the private sector to the Prison Service. [168396]
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§ Paul GogginsThe first private prison opened in 1992. Figures for the number and percentage of prisoners reconvicted within two years of discharge from prison are given in Prison Statistics, England and Wales, 2002. Table 9.1 shows reconviction rates for samples of discharged prisoners in each of the years 1987 to 1999. The related text explains that to compare reconviction rates over time it is necessary to control for changes in the characteristics of discharged prisoners, such as age and previous criminal history, which are strongly associated with reconviction rates.