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Police Numbers
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total number of police per head of population was in each police force area in (a) 1979, (b) 1992, (c) 1997 and (d) the latest date for which figures are available. [137860]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The information requested is set out in the table in the form of population per police officer.
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Women in Prison
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has commissioned on the impact of a mother receiving a custodial sentence on her children; and if he will make a statement. [137353]
Mr. Boateng: The most recently published study of imprisoned mothers was "Imprisoned Women and Mothers" by Caddle and Crisp. It was commissioned by the Prison Service and published in 1997 (Home Office Research Study 162). The entire female prisoner population at the end of 1994, comprising 1,766 women, were surveyed. In-depth interviews were conducted with the 61 per cent. of that population who were either pregnant or mothers of children under 18.
In the report of a "Review of Principles, Policies and Procedures on Mothers and Babies/Children in Prison" (Her Majesty's Prison Service July 1999) and the Prison Service's Response and Action Plan (December 1999), a number of areas of research concerning the children of women prisoners was recommended. The Prison Service is giving consideration to these recommendations. Copies of both documents were placed in the Library.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the cost of keeping a mother and child in a mother and baby unit for one week. [137356]
Mr. Boateng: At present no separate budget is allocated to the mother and baby units. The cost of running the unit is met from the individual establishment's central budget. Mother and baby units (MBU) do not have a standard cost
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as the physical accommodation offered is different in each one. Additionally the regimes offered differ from prison to prison depending on its security category and its function within the female estate. The information requested is given in the table.
| Prisoner places | Open/closed | Weekly cost per prisoner place on MBU (£) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Askham Grange | 20 | Open | 636 |
| Holloway | 13 | Closed | 858 |
| New Hall | 9 | Closed | 863 |
| Styal | 20 | Closed | 939 |
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women received a custodial sentence; what was the average length of sentence; and what proportion of those women were imprisoned for offences of violence, in each of the past five years. [137351]
Mr. Boateng: Available information, taken from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database is given in the table.
| Total immediate custody | Average sentence length (months) | Percentage of custodial sentences which were for violent(14) offences | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indictable offences | |||
| 1995 | 3,344 | 11.0 | 16 |
| 1996 | 3,883 | 12.3 | 16 |
| 1997 | 4,807 | 10.9 | 15 |
| 1998 | 5,779 | 9.9 | 14 |
| 1999 | 6,608 | 9.8 | 13 |
| All offences | |||
| 1995 | 3,792 | 10.0 | 15 |
| 1996 | 4,403 | 11.1 | 14 |
| 1997 | 5,506 | 9.8 | 13 |
| 1998 | 6,567 | 9.0 | 12 |
| 1999 | 7,504 | 8.9 | 11 |
(14) Includes indictable offence groups of violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women were remanded in custody in each of the past five years; what proportion of these women later received a custodial sentence; and how many of them were mothers of children under 18 years. [137352]
Mr. Boateng: Information on the number of females remanded to custody is given in the tables. This information is published in successive volumes of "Prison statistics England and Wales" (Tables 2.2 and 2.6 of the 1999 edition, column 4805), copies of which are in the Library. Survey research suggests that about 60 per cent. of women in prison are pregnant or have children under 18 years. Separate figures are not available for those on remand.
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| Year | Untried | Convicted unsentenced |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 2,940 | 1,778 |
| 1996 | 3,343 | 1,994 |
| 1997 | 3,974 | 2,436 |
| 1998 | 4,540 | 3,442 |
| 1999 | 4,587 | 3,935 |
(15) Total receptions cannot be calculated by adding together receptions in each category because there is double counting
| Final court outcome(17) | 1995(18) | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999(19) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acquitted etc. | 24 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 21 |
| Convicted(20) | 76 | 76 | 77 | 79 | 79 |
| Discharge | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| Fine | 7 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 |
| Community Service(21) | 22 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| Fully suspended sentence | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Immediate custody(22) | 33 | 32 | 31 | 32 | 35 |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
(16) Includes persons remanded in custody by magistrates during proceedings or on committal
(17) Includes estimated outcome at the Crown court for those committed for trial or sentence
(18) Uses Crown court (CREST) data from 1 July to 31 December 1995
(19) Provisional figures
(20) Includes offences otherwise dealt with
(21) Includes CSO, probation, supervision orders and attendance centre orders
(22) Includes detention in a young offender institution and unsuspended imprisonment
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women's prisons provide facilities for extended day visits for children; and if he will make it his policy that all women's prisons should provide such facilities. [137355]
Mr. Boateng: Nine women's prisons offer extended visits, two have recently considered the feasibility of providing them, and the other two have open conditions. Our policy is to encourage establishments to provide such facilities wherever possible, although the extent to which each establishment is able to deliver this will depend upon individual operational and resource considerations. For this reason, I do not plan to make mandatory the provision of such facilities, either in women's prisons or the prison estate as a whole.
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