§ Dr. VisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library a copy of the guidelines issued to prisons wishing to apply for late release of juveniles. [176783]
§ Paul GogginsLate release provides a sanction where a young person subject to a Detention and Training Order (DTO) has been violent, dangerous or destructive while in custody, or has consistently failed to co-operate or to take responsibility for his or her behaviour. Applications for late release require the approval of a court.
No specific guidance has been issued on the procedure for applying for late release. The introduction in May 2002 of presumptive early release with electronic monitoring provided an alternative sanction in many cases, in that DTO trainees who exhibit a pattern of bad behaviour can be required to remain in custody to the end of the first part of their Order. We are currently reviewing policy on late release in the light of establishments' experience, particularly over the two years since electronically monitored early release was made available.
§ Dr. VisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times each prison has applied for the late release of a juvenile prisoner in each of the last five years. [176786]
§ Paul GogginsSection 102(5) of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 enables a youth court, on application from the Secretary of State, to order that a young person serving a Detention and Training Order (DTO) of eight months or more should be released one month after the half-way point of the Order. (A young person serving 18 or 24 months can, alternatively, be ordered to be released two months after the half-way point.)
The following table shows late release applications by Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) in the period beginning with the introduction of the DTO on 1 April 2000 up until 31 May 2004.
1167W
YOI Late release applications Approved Awaiting Court hearing Ashfield 0 — — Brinsford 4 3 1 Castlington 0 — — Feltham 0 — — Hindley 0 — — Huntercombe 0 — — Lancaster farms 3 3 — Onley 0 — — Parc 0 — — Stoke Heath 3 1 — Thorn Cross 0 — — Warren Hill 0 — — Werrington 0 — — Wetherby 0 — — Brockhill 0 — — Bullwood Hall 0 — — Eastwood Park 0 — New Hall 0 — —