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27 Feb 2008 : Column 1714W—continued


Life Imprisonment

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of prison sentences handed out were life sentences in each year since 1993; and if he will make a statement. [188946]

Mr. Hanson: The following table shows the available information which can also be found in table 2.3 of ‘Sentencing Statistics 2006’, available at:

Persons sentenced to life sentences, 1996 to 2006, England and Wales
Number and percentage
Custody rate and sentence length 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

All offences

Number given immediate custody at all courts

85,249

93,841

100,566

105,323

106,187

106,273

111,607

107,670

106,322

101,236

96,017

Life(1)

338

367

394

483

467

503

555

513

570

625

547

Proportion (Percentage)

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

1

1

(1) Sentences of imprisonment for public protection introduced by the Criminal Justice Act 2003 on 4 April 2005.

Offensive Weapons: Sentencing

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people received (a) custodial and (b) non-custodial sentences on conviction for offences which included the carrying or use of a knife in each of the last five years. [185635]


27 Feb 2008 : Column 1715W

Mr. Straw: Information on possession of a knife is contained in the following table. Statistics for 2007 will be published in the autumn.

In such instances as a robbery or violent assault where an individual has used a knife or other offensive
27 Feb 2008 : Column 1716W
weapon then they will principally be sentenced for the more serious transgression; the figures for such more serious offences as robbery do not isolate the specific use of a knife in such circumstances.

Persons sentenced( 1) for possession of a knife, all courts, England and Wales, 2002-06
Defendants
Offence
Type of sentence Possession of offensive weapons without lawful authority or reasonable excuse( 2) Having an article with a blade or point in a public place Having an article with a blade or point on school premises Possession of weapons without lawful authority or reasonable excuse on school premises Total

2002

Total sentenced

5,441

5,269

57

21

10,788

Custodial sentence

787

766

7

5

1,565

Non-custodial sentence(3)

4,654

4,503

50

16

9,223

2003

Total sentenced

5,470

5,374

88

22

10,954

Custodial sentence

760

755

6

4

1,525

Non-custodial sentence(3)

4,710

4,619

82

18

9,429

2004

Total sentenced

5,758

5,802

106

33

11,699

Custodial sentence

817

803

12

4

1,636

Non-custodial sentence(3)

4,941

4,999

94

29

10,063

2005

Total sentenced

5,689

5,957

45

30

11,721

Custodial sentence

829

965

5

3

1,802

Non-custodial sentence(3)

4,860

4,992

40

27

9,919

2006

Total sentenced

5,630

6,284

50

40

12,004

Custodial sentence

788

1,070

5

3

1,866

Non-custodial sentence(3)

4,842

5,214

45

37

10,138

(1) Principal offence basis.
(2) Will include knives, but information collected centrally does not provide a distinction between them and other offensive weapons.
(3) Non-custodial sentences include absolute and conditional discharge, fine, community sentence, suspended sentence and otherwise dealt with.
Note:
These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.
Source:
RDS-NOMS, Ministry of Justice

Open Prisons: Prisoner Escapes

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how his Department defines a prisoner in an open prison who absconds and fails to return. [189817]

Mr. Straw: Prisoners are classed as ‘absconders’ if they absent themselves from Prison Service custody without lawful authority and without overcoming physical security restraints such as that provided by fence, locks, bolts and bars, a secure vehicle, handcuffs or direct supervision of staff. This latter category are classed as escapes.

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether there have been any changes to the criteria for recording absconds or other unauthorised absences from open prisons since 1997. [189818]

Mr. Straw: There have been no changes to the criteria for recording absconds or other unauthorised absences from open prisons since 1997.

Prison Accommodation

Mr. Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the certified normal accommodation was for (a) each prison and (b) the prison estate in each month since November 2007; [188195]

(2) what the operational capacity was for (a) each prison and (b) the prison estate in each month since November 2007. [188196]


27 Feb 2008 : Column 1717W

Mr. Straw: The following table shows the in-use certified normal accommodation (CNA)(1) and operational capacity for each prison in England and Wales and for the total in-use CNA and useable operational capacity(2) for the prison estate. Figures provided are for the final Friday of each month since November 2007.


27 Feb 2008 : Column 1718W

27 Feb 2008 : Column 1719W
Prison Establishments
November 2007 December 2007 January 2008
Prison Name CNA Op Cap CNA Op Cap CNA Op Cap

Acklington

882

882

882

882

882

882

Albany

526

526

526

526

526

526

Altcourse

794

1,288

794

1,288

794

1,288

Ashfield

400

400

400

400

400

400

Ashwell

535

545

534

544

534

544

Askham Grange

126

128

126

128

126

128

Aylesbury

437

444

437

444

437

444

Bedford

324

494

322

494

322

494

Belmarsh

799

909

799

909

799

909

Birmingham

1,121

1,450

1,121

1,450

1,121

1,450

Blakenhurst

821

1,070

821

1070

821

1,070

Blantyre House

122

122

122

122

122

122

Blundeston

421

466

421

466

421

466

Brinsford

473

489

473

489

473

489

Bristol

420

606

420

606

420

606

Brixton

606

798

606

798

606

798

Brockhill

170

170

170

170

170

170

Bronzefield

450

465

450

465

450

465

Buckley Hall

350

385

350

385

350

385

Bullingdon

759

963

759

963

759

963

Bullwood Hall

170

184

170

184

170

204

Camp Hill

523

595

523

595

523

595

Canterbury

196

284

196

294

196

304

Cardiff

524

754

524

754

524

754

Castington

400

410

400

410

400

410

Channings Wood

698

731

698

731

696

729

Chelmsford

541

695

541

695

541

695

Coldingley

370

392

370

392

370

392

Cookham Wood

17

17

17

17

17

17

Dartmoor

619

646

619

646

615

642

Deerbolt

447

452

447

452

453

458

Doncaster

771

1,146

771

1,146

771

1,146

Dorchester

147

260

143

257

143

257

Dovegate

800

860

800

860

800

860

Dover

316

316

316

316

316

316

Downview

358

358

358

358

358

358

Drake Hall

315

315

315

315

315

315

Durham

591

981

591

981

591

981

East Sutton Park

98

100

98

100

98

100

Eastwood Park

326

362

326

362

326

362

Edmunds Hill

366

371

366

371

351

351

Elmley

753

985

753

985

753

985

Erlestoke

410

410

410

410

410

410

Everthorpe

603

689

603

689

603

689

Exeter

316

533

316

533

316

533

Featherstone

663

679

663

679

663

679

Feltham

762

762

762

762

762

762

Ford

541

541

541

541

541

541

Forest Bank

800

1,124

800

1,124

800

1,124

Foston Hall

283

290

283

290

283

290

Frankland

732

749

732

749

732

749

Full Sutton

600

612

600

612

600

612

Garth

779

779

812

812

812

812

Gartree

570

575

570

575

570

575

Glen Pava

668

808

668

808

668

808

Gloucester

225

321

225

321

225

321

Grendon

215

215

215

215

215

215

Guys Marsh

520

578

520

578

520

578

Haslar

123

123

141

141

131

131

Haverigg

522

635

622

635

622

635

Hewell Grange

187

187

187

187

187

187

Highdown

693

797

821

925

821

925

Highpoint

788

812

792

816

792

816

Hindley

539

539

523

523

523

523

Hollesley Bay

330

330

330

330

330

330

Holloway

498

501

498

501

498

501

Holme House

857

994

857

994

857

994

Hull

723

1040

723

1040

723

1040

Huntercombe

360

365

360

365

360

365

Kennet

175

342

175

342

171

338

Kingston

199

200

199

200

199

200

Kirkham

590

590

590

590

590

590

Kirklevington

223

223

223

223

223

223

Lancaster

96

177

96

177

96

177

Lancaster Farms

480

527

480

527

480

527

Latchmere House

207

207

207

207

207

207

Leeds

678

1,000

678

1,000

678

1,000

Leicester

206

385

210

392

210

392

Lewes

458

558

458

558

458

558

Leyhill

512

512

512

512

512

512

Lincoln

436

738

436

738

436

738

Lindholme

1,006

1,066

1,042

1,102

1,042

1,102

Littlehey

663

706

663

706

663

706

Liverpool

1,160

1,439

1,160

1,439

1,160

1,439

Long Lartin

426

464

426

464

426

464

Low Newton

285

316

291

328

291

328

Lowdham Grange

640

680

640

680

640

680

Maidstone

451

482

451

482

451

482

Manchester

954

1269

954

1269

954

1269

Moorland

740

791

740

791

740

791

Moorland Open

260

260

260

260

260

260

Motion Hall

392

392

392

392

392

392

Mount

747

764

747

764

747

764

New Hall

393

443

393

443

393

443

North Sea Camp

306

306

306

306

306

306

Northallerton

153

252

153

252

153

252

Norwich

447

557

447

557

447

557

Nottingham

379

550

379

550

379

550

Onley

640

640

640

640

640

640

Pare

838

1,138

838

1,138

838

1,138

Parkhurst

461

521

453

506

449

497

Pentonville

799

1,152

799

1,152

799

1,152

Peterborough

840

996

840

1,008

840

1,008

Portland

519

557

519

557

519

557

Prescoed

167

178

167

178

167

178

Preston

429

750

429

750

429

750

Ranby

912

1,038

912

1,038

912

1,038

Reading

182

287

182

287

182

287

Risley

1,046

1,091

1,050

1,095

1,050

1,095

Rochester

392

392

392

392

392

392

Rye Hill

600

600

600

600

600

600

Send

216

216

216

216

216

216

Shepton Mallet

165

189

165

189

165

189

Shrewsbury

175

328

175

328

175

328

Spring Hill

333

333

333

333

333

333

Stafford

680

680

680

680

680

680

Standford Hill

464

464

464

464

464

464

Stocken

685

712

715

742

715

742

Stoke Heath

516

632

516

632

472

588

Styal

450

460

450

460

438

448

Sudbury

563

571

563

571

563

571

Swaleside

751

773

751

773

751

773

Swansea

240

422

240

422

240

422

Swinfen Hall

600

620

600

620

600

620

Thorn Cross

322

321

322

321

322

321

Usk

150

250

150

250

150

250

Verne

560

595

560

595

560

595

Wakefield

748

751

748

751

748

751

Wandsworth

965

1,475

965

1,475

996

1,475

Warren Hill

222

222

222

222

222

222

Wayland

657

709

657

717

657

717

Wealstun

885

907

885

907

885

907

Wellingborough

636

646

636

646

636

646

Werrington

160

162

160

162

160

162

Wetherby

360

384

360

384

360

384

Whatton

733

797

758

821

758

821

Whitemoor

464

458

464

458

464

458

Winchester

380

544

380

544

380

544

Wolds

320

380

320

380

320

380

Woodhill

641

807

641

807

641

807

Wormwood Scrubs

1,173

1,256

1,173

1,256

1,173

1,256

Wymott

1,005

1,062

1,005

1,062

1,005

1,062


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