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25 Mar 2004 : Column 1021W—continued
Wormwood Scrubs
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in implementing the recommendations made in internal inquiry reports relating to allegations of prison officer abuse at Wormwood Scrubs; and if he will make a statement. [162664]
Paul Goggins: The Governor at Wormwood Scrubs has implemented the recommendations that have emerged from various completed inquiries and, aided by the Area Manager, ensures that current arrangements are regularly monitored and audited.
Recommendations relating to Wormwood Scrubs, but implemented nationally include:
- Setting up a Professional Standards Unit to monitor all investigative and disciplinary processes and to oversee staff corruption issues.
- Introducing new investigative procedures.
- Developing more effective audit processes of all functions in prisons including segregation units.
- Adopting robust policies on alcohol consumption during duty hours including closure of staff clubs.
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- Streamlining new selection and succession planning for managers.
- Developing new partnership arrangements with Health Care trusts that provide improved care for prisoners.
- Improving the Area Manager/Governor line management arrangements.
- Improving grievance procedures and introducing systems that ensure the integrity of the processes.
- Introducing better training for investigators.
Young Offenders
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hours per week were spent, on average, by inmates in young offenders institutions (a) in educational activities, (b) on physical exercise and (c) in their cells in 2003. [158788]
Paul Goggins: During the current financial year to February 2004, prisoners in Young Offender Institutions undertook an average of 7.1 hours of education activity per week and 3.9 hours of physical exercise. This average is suppressed by the number of prisoners held on remand or unsentenced who are not obliged to participate in educational activities.
The length of time prisoners spent in their cells is not collected routinely.
Dr. Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether placement conferences are routinely held to decide in which penal institution children should be held. [162277]
Paul Goggins: The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (YJB) has overall responsibility for placement in the juvenile secure estate. There are three types of accommodation—Young Offender Institutions, Secure Training Centres and Local Authority Secure Children's Homes.
Where a young person is remanded to custody the YJB places them in the young offender institution serving the court they are appearing at.
If a young person receives a detention and training order the YJB decides which establishment is most appropriate, taking into account their age and maturity and the vulnerability assessment made by the youth offending team.
Young people sentenced under sections 90 or 91 of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 are placed by the Juvenile Group at Prison Service Headquarters , in consultation with the YJB .
Conferences are not routinely held to decide each placement, but all are reviewed by the youth offending team officer and the establishment . The YJB arranges transfers where more suitable placements are identified.
Dr. Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether juveniles who reach the age of 18 while serving a detention and training order are automatically transferred out of the juvenile prison estate. [162278]
Paul Goggins: Juveniles who reach the age of 18 while serving a detention and training order will normally remain in the juvenile prison estate until their transfer to the community.
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Dr. Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures are in place to ensure that children who are part way through GCSE courses when they are received into prison can continue their courses. [162281]
Paul Goggins: Education departments within prisons are registered with examination boards for the delivery of a number of core curriculum subjects for children who are taking GCSEs. Schools and young offender institutions work together to offer opportunities for progress to those who have already commenced GCSEs and to ensure they continue with their courses in the community on release.
If a GCSE subject is more unusual and cannot be supported in custody to GCSE standard, then either specialist teaching staff are brought in or alternative GCSEs or accreditation opportunities such as in Key Skills level 2 are offered.
Dr. Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which prisons in the juvenile estate give night-time breakfast packs to inmates. [162282]
Paul Goggins: Of the establishments in the Prison Service juvenile estate, Eastwood Park, Lancaster Farms and New Hall routinely provide night-time breakfast packs as a matter of course. Bullwood Hall, Hindley, Huntercombe and Stoke Heath provide them in certain circumstances, for example where a young person has to be produced in court early the next morning.
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure that young offenders are detained near their (a) homes and (b) families. [162312]
Paul Goggins: In its management of the prison population, the Prison Service aims to hold prisoners in establishments that provide the degree of security they require, are suitable for their gender, age and legal status, provide special facilities appropriate to prisoner needs, and are near to their homes or the courts dealing with their cases. Sentenced young offenders have to be held separately from adult prisoners
Considerable emphasis is also placed on encouraging all prisoners, including young offenders, to maintain their family ties. We recognise that this helps them to achieve a better transition from custody to resettlement, and is therefore an important factor in reducing re-offending.
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 6 January 2004, Official Report, column 328W, on young offender institutions, which establishments are equipped with (a) unfurnished cells and (b) other types of special accommodation. [162437]
Paul Goggins: Special accommodation includes cells designated as 'special' or 'unfurnished'. The following establishments in the juvenile estate are equipped with special accommodation:
- Ashfield
- Brinsford
- Bullwood Hall
- Castington
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- Feltham
- Hindley
- Huntercombe
- Lancaster Farms
- New Hall
- Parc
- Stoke Heath
- Warren Hill
- Werrington
- Wetherby
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 9 February 2004, Official Report, column 1262W, on juvenile prisoners, for what reasons the use of unfurnished cells was judged to be unnecessary at (a) Eastwood Park, (b) Holloway, (c) Huntercombe, (d) Lancaster Farms, (e) Parc, (f) Thorn Cross, (g) Warren Hill, (h) Werrington and (i) Wetherby. [162439]
Paul Goggins: Special accommodation may be used for the temporary confinement of a violent or refractory prisoner, but only if its use:
- (i) Is necessary in order to prevent the prisoner causing self-injury, injuring another prisoner or staff, or damaging property, or creating a disturbance; and
- (ii) Has been properly approved (i.e. No prisoner shall be placed in special accommodation except on the prior authority of the Governor/Controller in charge).
These establishments did not use unfurnished cells between January 2002 and December 2003 for one or more of the following reasons:
- (i) They do not have unfurnished cells, or they use special cells or ordinary segregation accommodation;
- (ii) Staff were able, on the basis of individual risk assessment, to deal with the violent or refractory behaviour by means other than using special accommodation.
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 9 February 2004, Official Report, column 1262W, on juvenile prisoners, what the (a) average number of hours and (b) longest number of hours spent in unfurnished cells was at (i) Castington, (ii) Feltham, (iii) Hindley and (iv) Stoke Heath in 2003. [162440]
Paul Goggins: Castington did not use unfurnished cells during 2003. Data on the average length of time and the longest length of time spent in unfurnished cells at Feltham, Hindley and Stoke Heath young offender institutions in 2003, is shown in the following table.
| Establishment | Average number of hours | Longest number of hours |
|---|---|---|
| Feltham | 1 hour 5 minutes | 4 hours 30 minutes |
| Hindley | 45 minutes | 1 hour 15 minutes |
| Stoke Heath | 7 hours 1 minute | 20 hours 45 minutes |
Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many attacks there were on
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prison officers in each young offenders' institution in each month from June 2003 to the most recent month for which figures are available. [163211]
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Ms Blears: The number of assaults on prison officers in each young offender's institution is detailed in the table.
| 2003 | 2004 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Establishment name | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | January | February | March |
| Aylesbury | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Brinsford | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Castington | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| Deerbolt | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Feltham | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — |
| Glen Parva | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hindley | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lancaster Farms | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | — |
| Northallerton | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Onley | 2 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| Portland | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| Reading | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rochester | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Stoke Heath | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| Swinfen Hall | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| Thorn Cross | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Warren Hill | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
The Prison Service categorises establishments by their main role. Establishments that have more than one role are placed in the category that represents the primary or dominant function of the prison. The establishments referred to in the answer are categorised as Young Offender Institutes as they hold a predominantly Young Offender population.
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