Examination of Witnesses (Questions 455
- 459)
TUESDAY 1 DECEMBER 2009
MARIA EAGLE
MP AND MR
IAN POREE
Q455 Chairman: Minister, good morning,
I apologise for keeping you waiting; the subject matter of the
inquiry is of such interest to this Committee that we have had
to ask additional questions of witnesses. How many users of powder
and crack cocaine are there currently in our prison system?
Maria Eagle: Chairman, can I say
it is a pleasure to be here even if we have had to wait for a
few minutes, it is nice to get a bit of a rest now and then! If
we look at the numbers on the basis of those who have used crack
or cocaine up to a year before they come into prison, which is
the basis upon which we collect the figures, the figure for adults
for crack cocaine is 35%, for young offenders it is 15%.
Q456 Chairman: Please go a little
slower. In the prison system at the moment 35% of those in the
prisons are cocaine users?
Maria Eagle: No, have used cocaine
for up to a year before they come into prison. There is a difference
between the kinds of substances that are abused in prison and
what was done before they came into prison.
Q457 Chairman: Who have used it in
the past.
Maria Eagle: Have used it in the
past, up to a year before.
Q458 Chairman: How many for young
offenders?
Maria Eagle: 15% for young offenders—that
is crack cocaine. The figures for powder cocaine for adults are
23% and 35% for young offenders. We can produce for you tables
of figures which give you the full picture of that survey work
that we do.
Q459 Chairman: That would be very
helpful. On entry into prison over half the people entering have
used cocaine?
Maria Eagle: If you add up—
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