BROMLEY BRIEFINGS PRISON FACTFILE - Prison Reform Trust

BROMLEY BRIEFINGSPRISON FACTFILEDecember 2007For more information about the work of thePrison Reform Trust e-mail: prt@prisonreformtrust.org.ukor call 020 7251 5070 or visit www.prisonreformtrust.org.ukwww.innocentuntilprovenguilty.comor www.smartjustice.orgThese ‘Bromley Briefings’ are being produced in memory of Keith Bromley, a valued friend of PRT and alliedgroups concerned with prisons and human rights. His support for refugees from oppression, victims of torture andthe falsely imprisoned has made a difference to many people’s lives.The Prison Reform Trust is grateful to theBromley Trust for supporting the production of this briefing paper.Prison Factfilewww.prisonreformtrust.org.uk

ContentsIntroduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Prison overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Prison overcrowding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Prison suicide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Sentencing trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Remand prisoners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Women in prison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Mothers and fathers in custody, prisoners’ children. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Social characteristics of prisoners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Young people in prison (18-20 year olds). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Children in prison. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Minority ethnic prisoners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Foreign national prisoners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Elderly prisoners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Mental health needs of prisoners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Drugs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Alcohol. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Disability, health and wellbeing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Homelessness and unemployment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Prison work and volunteering. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Recalls to prison. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Prison Service performance and staffing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Private prisons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Long term trends and future prison building. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk

IntroductionThe social and economic costs of imprisonmenthave become too great to bear.We can no longerafford to get it so wrong.When you start talkingnumbers the scale of the problem quicklybecomes evident. The prison population hassoared by 25,000 in just over ten years. Previouslyit took nearly four decades (1958-1995) for it torise to that degree. Each year over 132,000people are now received into our overcrowdedprisons and 70,000 children enter the youthjustice system.Talking tough, creating new offences, introducing araft of mandatory penalties and then, under theCriminal Justice Act (2003) bringing in a newindeterminate sentence has led to massiveinflation in sentencing. The misuse of prison tocontain the mentally ill, addicts in need oftreatment, vulnerable women and children andpeople with learning disabilities compounds theproblem. It also provides a key to the solution interms of the range of government departmentwho must shoulder their responsibilities,alongside the Ministry of Justice, to createhealthier, safer communities.People are beginning to question whether we canafford this exceptionally high use of imprisonmentcoupled with shattering reconviction rates.Recent reports by the National Audit Office andby Matrix, and a review by the new economicsfoundation, all take an incisive, critical look at thecost benefits and value for money of the currentsystem where each new place now costs£119,000 and the annual average cost for eachprisoner exceeds £40,000. In November it wasrevealed in Parliament that £29 million has beenwasted in one year on overspill police cells. Norhas investment been made in increasing staffnumbers in prison and probation services or theParole Board, despite rocketing central costsfollowing the introduction of the NationalOffender Management Service.It is difficult to estimate the social costs ofneedlessly high rates of imprisonment. But theimpact on families, as well as the cycle of crime,will be immense.Today well over 150,000 childrenhave a parent in prison. According to theDepartment for Children, Schools and Families,during their time at school 7% of childrenexperience their father's imprisonment. Each yearup to 18,000 children are separated from theirmother. More children are affected by theimprisonment of a parent than they are bydivorce. Yet almost no attention is paid to theneeds of prisoners’ families and carers in starkcontrast to well developed social policy andpractice in relation to other life-changing events.And what of those children who are themselvesserving a prison sentence? The number of 15-17year olds in prison custody increased by 86% inten years from 1995-2005. Levels of assessedvulnerability are also rising year on year. Here weshould stop and think of just one child. On 29November 2007 notification was received of thedeath of a 15 year old boy in HMYOI LancasterFarms. Early in the morning, Liam McManus wasfound hanging from a bed sheet tied to thewindow bars in a single cell on normal location.He was serving a sentence of 1 month and 14days for breach of license.The death of a child in prison will send shockwaves through government and so it should. Hissad, lonely death raises fundamental questionsabout the use of custody for children. If anythinggood could possibly come out of such a tragedy,it would be for government to review as a matterof urgency its policy of locking our mostvulnerable children in under-resourced, unsafeinstitutions.The forthcoming report by Lord Carter is apivotal opportunity to advocate for a moresparing use of custody altogether. Public opinionpolls show that what people really want is notvengeance but a system that prevents the nextvictim. By re-introducing proportionality insentencing and meeting its commitment toreserve prison only for the most serious andviolent offenders, government could begin torepair some of the damage caused by anaddiction to imprisonment that has cost us dear.www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk 3

Prison overviewOn 30 November 2007, the prisonpopulation in England and Wales was81,455, including 177 held in police cellsunder Operation Safeguard. 1The total UK prison population on 23November 2007 was 90,248. On 23November 2007, the prison population inScotland was 7,318. 2 The prison population inNorthern Ireland on 23 November 2007 was1,476. 3 On the same date, the population incustody in England and Wales was 81,454. 4 InFrance, with the same population, the figure is52,009 and in Germany with over 20 millionmore people, 76,629. 5In 2006/07 the average daily population inScottish prisons totalled 7,183, an increaseof 5% on 2005/06, and the highest level everrecorded. 6Since reaching a low point of 926 in 2001,the prison population in Northern Irelandhas risen steadily. 7England and Wales has the highestimprisonment rate in Western Europe at 148per 100,000 of the population. France has animprisonment rate of 85 per 100,000 andGermany has a rate of 93 per 100,000. 8The additional 9,500 places that LordFalconer announced in June 2007 will takethe rate of imprisonment in England andWales to 166 per 100,000 of population.That is beyond Bulgaria (148), Slovakia (155),Romania (155) and Hungary (156). 961% of victims of crime do not think that theuse of prison stops re-offending for non-violentcrime, such as shoplifting, stealing cars andvandalism. 10Only 29% of victims of crime think that sendingdrug addicts to prison is an effective way ofreducing the risk of their re-offending. 72%wanted more drug treatment programmes in thecommunity to fight crime. 11The number of prisoners in England and Waleshas increased by 25,000 in the last ten years. In1996, the mid-year prison population was 55,256. 12When Labour came to government in May 1997,the prison population was 60,131. Previously ittook nearly four decades (1958-1995) for theprison population to rise by 25,000. 13132,058 people entered prison in England andWales in 2005. 14The average age of those sentenced to custodyin 2005 was 27. A quarter was aged 21 orunder. 15The number of people found guilty by thecourts has remained largely constant overrecent years, it was 1,645,831 in 1995 and1,783,396 in 2005. The number given custody atmagistrates’ courts has risen from 25,016 in 1993to 57,250 in 2005.The number of people awardedcustodial sentence at the crown court has risenfrom 33,722 in 1993 to 43,986 in 2005. 161. NOMS, Prison Population and Accommodation Briefing for 30 November 20072. Scottish Prison Service, http://www.sps.gov.uk//Default.aspx?DocumentID=7811a7f1-6c61-4667-a12c-f102bbf5b8083. Northern Ireland Prison Service, http://www.niprisonservice.gov.uk/module.cfm/opt/11/area/Situation%20Reports/page/situationreports/srid/2494. NOMS, Prison Population and Accommodation Briefing for 23 November 20075. International Centre for Prison Studies, http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/rel/icps/worldbrief/europe.html6. Scottish Executive, Statistical Bulletin, Criminal Justice Series, Prison Statistics Scotland 2006/077. Northern Ireland Prison Service, http://www.niprisonservice.gov.uk/pop-arch.htm8. International Centre for Prison Studies, http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/rel/icps/worldbrief/europe.htm 9. Ibid.10. SmartJustice 2006, Briefing: Crime victims say jail doesn’t work, http://www.smartjustice.org/pr16jan06.html 11. Ibid.12. Home Office, Offender Management Caseload Statistics, 200513. Home Office, Prison Statistics England and Wales 2002, London: Stationery Office.14. Home Office, Offender Management Caseload Statistics, 200515. Ibid.16. Home Office, Sentencing Statistics 2003 and 20054www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk

The number of women in prison has morethan doubled over the past decade. On 30November 2007 the women’s prisonpopulation in England and Wales stood at4,510. 17 In 1995 the average female prisonpopulation was 1,998. In 1999 it stood at 3,355. In2005, 12,275 women were received into prison. 18Home Office research has found that 66% ofwomen prisoners are mothers, and each yearit is estimated that more than 17,700 childrenare separated from their mother byimprisonment. 19It is estimated that 150,000 children have aparent in prison. During their time at school 7%of children experience their father’simprisonment. 20At the end of October 2007 there were 9,544young adults in prisons in England and Wales,up by 3% since October 2006. 21 There were2,485 children in prison. The number of childrenin prison has nearly doubled in the ten years from1995 - 2005. 22The prison system as a whole has beenovercrowded in every year since 1994. 23In 2006/7 the average number of people heldtwo to a cell certified for one was 17,974, 24up from 9,498 in 1996/7. The number held threeto a cell designed for two was 1,113. 25It costs an average of £40,992 to keep aperson in prison in England and Wales. 26The actual cost per prisoner place inNorthern Ireland in 2006-07 was £90,298. 27According to the government, the overall costof the criminal justice system has risen from2% of GDP to 2.5% over the last ten years.That is a higher per capita level than the US orany EU country. 28Since Labour came to power in 1997, morethan 20,000 additional prison places havebeen provided, an increase of 33%. 9,500 moreare planned for 2012. 29The average cost of each prison place builtbetween 2000 and 2004 is £99,839. 30 Thecost for 940 places added in 2005/6 was£119,000 each. 31Research by the Prime Minister’s StrategyUnit highlighted in the Carter report(‘Managing Offenders, Reducing Crime’,December 2003) says that a 22% increase inthe prison population since 1997 is estimatedto have reduced crime by around 5% during aperiod when overall crime fell by 30% due toother measures and trends. The report states:“There is no convincing evidence that furtherincreases in the use of custody would significantlyreduce crime”. 32Prison has a poor record for reducing reoffending– 64.7% are reconvicted within twoyears of being released - for young men (18-20) it is 75.3%. 33The Social Exclusion Unit has concluded thatre-offending by ex-prisoners costs society atleast £11 billion per year. Ex-prisoners areresponsible for about one in five of all recordedcrimes. 3417. NOMS, Prison Population and Accommodation Briefing for 30 November 200718. Home Office, Offender Management Caseload Statistics, 200519. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 16 May 200320. Department for Education and Skills, (2003) Every Child Matters, London: Stationery Office21. Ministry of Justice, Population in Custody, England and Wales, October 200722. Home Office, Offender Management Caseload Statistics, 200523. Home Office, Digest 4: Information on the Criminal Justice System in England and Wales, 1999, London: Home Office24. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 28 March 2007 25. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 9 January 200726. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 18 April 200627. Northern Ireland Prison Service Annual Report and Accounts 2006-07, 11 July 200728. Rt Hon Lord Falconer, the Today Programme, BBC Radio 4, 23 January 200729. Hansard, House of Lords, Statement by Rt Hon Lord Falconer, 19 June 2007 30. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 30 June 200531. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 26 March 200732. Carter (2003) Managing Offenders, Reducing Crime, London: Strategy Unit33. Home Office, Re-offending of adults: results from the 2004 cohort 34. Social Exclusion Unit (2002) Reducing re-offending by ex-prisoners, London: Social Exclusion Unitwww.prisonreformtrust.org.uk 5

7.5% of the male population born in 1953had been given at least one custodialsentence before the age of forty-six. 33% ofmen born in 1953 had at least one convictionfor a 'standard list' offence before the age offorty-six. 35Every year an estimated 70,000 school-agechildren enter the youth justice system. 36Research by Citizen’s Advice found that onaverage, prisoners interviewed had beenmoved four times. It is concerned that thisdisrupts links to family and the continuity ofwork and training in prison. 37The number of people under pre or postrelease supervision by the Probation Servicewas 181,211 in 2005. 38 Under the provisionsof the Criminal Justice Act 2003, license andsupervision will run to the end of the sentencefor those who receive over 12 months (asopposed to ending three-quarters of the waythrough as is now the case).The publicprotection sentences will carry extendedperiods of supervision.The average time out of cell on a weekdayfor each prisoner was 10 hours exactly in2005/2006, a fall from 11.2 in 1996-7. 39At the end of 2006 there were 30 prisonersin England and Wales serving a ‘whole life’tariff. 40England and Wales has the highest number oflife sentenced prisoners in Europe. It hasmore than Germany, France, the RussianFederation and Turkey combined. 42Indefinite sentences, that is life and the newsentence of indeterminate detention forpublic protection (IPP), have grown by 31%over the last year. The number of peopleserving these sentences now exceeds thenumber on short sentences of a year or less.There were 10,079 people serving indeterminatesentences at the end of October 2007, a rise of27% on the year before. 43 This compares withfewer than 4,000 in 1998 and 3,000 in 1992. 44There are now well over 3,000 people servingIPP sentences, more than 300 of whom arebeing held beyond their tariff. 45It is estimated that there will be 12,500people serving IPPs by 2012. 46As at 30 September just 13 offenderssentenced to the indeterminate sentence forpublic protection have been released onlicence. 47By the end of June 2014 the demand forprison spaces is projected to increase tobetween 88,800 and 101,900. Much of theunderlying growth in all scenarios can beattributed to the use of IPP sentences. 48Men in prison serving 4 years or more werethe fastest growing section of the populationbetween 1995 and 2005, increasing by 86%.The population of men serving between 12months and 4 years increased by 39%, thoseserving under a year by 22%. 4135. Home Office (2001) Criminal careers of those born between 1953 and 197836. HM government – Reducing re-offending through skills and employment, CM 6702, December 200537. Citizens’ Advice, Locked Out: CAB evidence on prisoners and ex-offenders, March 200738. Home Office, Offender Management Caseload Statistics, 200539. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 9 January 200740. Home Office, FOI release 4595, 27 October 200641. Home Office, Offender Management Caseload Statistics, 200542. Aebi, M. (2007) Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics, Survey 200543. Ministry of Justice, Population in Custody, England and Wales, October 200744. Home Office (2003) Prison Statistics England and Wales 2002, London: Stationery Office45. Rt Hon Jack Straw, Minutes of Evidence, Constitutional Affairs Committee, 9 October 200746. Sir Duncan Nichol, The Guardian, 10 January 200747. Prison Reform Trust, Information from NOMS48. Ministry of Justice Statistical Bulletin, Prison Population Projections, England and Wales, 2007-2014 (August 2007)6www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk

Prison overcrowdingPrison overcrowding is defined by the PrisonService as a prison containing more prisonersthan the establishment’s Certified NormalAccommodation (CNA). “CNA, or uncrowdedcapacity, is the Prison Service’s own measure ofaccommodation. CNA represents the good,decent standard of accommodation that theservice aspires to provide all prisoners.” 49The limit to overcrowding in prison is calledthe Operational Capacity. The Prison Servicedefines it as:“the total number of prisoners thatan establishment can hold without serious risk togood order, security and the proper running of theplanned regime.” 50The prison population was 113% of the “InUse CNA” (71,871) at 31 October 2007. 51At the end of October 2007, 85 of the 141prisons in England and Wales wereovercrowded. 52On 30 November 2007, the total prisonpopulation stood 9 below the ceiling ofUseable Operational Capacity for theprison system in England and Wales. Policecells, used as an overflow under the termsof Operation Safeguard, added a further400 places. 53Just under £29 million has been invoiced bypolice forces in England and Wales forhousing prisoners under OperationSafeguard between October 2006 andNovember 2007. 54The average number of people held two toa cell certified for one in 2006/07 was17,974, 55 up from 9,498 in 1996/7. Thenumber held three to a cell designed for twowas 1,113. 56The ten most overcrowded prisons in England and Wales, October 2007PrisonIn useCNAOperationalCapacityPopulation %overcrowdedKennet 175 342 336 192Shrewsbury 181 340 329 182Swansea 240 422 423 176Preston 429 750 733 171Leicester 206 385 349 169Lincoln 436 738 738 169Usk 150 250 248 165Altcourse 794 1,288 1,293 163Durham 591 981 949 161Northallerton 153 252 245 160NOMS (2007) Monthly Bulletin – October 2007, London: Prison Service49. The Prison Service, Prison Service Order 1900, Certified Prisoner Accommodation50. Ibid.51. Ministry of Justice, Population in Custody, England and Wales, October 200752. NOMS Monthly Bulletin – October 200753. NOMS, Prison Population and Accommodation Briefing for 30 November 200754. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 20 November 200755. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 28 March 200756. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 9 January 2007www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk 7

On 13 April 2007, 2,603 prisoners on life orindeterminate sentences were in local prisons.The majority were waiting for transfer to firststage lifer prisons. 57A review undertaken in August 2007 indicatedthat approximately 120 prisoners servingindeterminate sentences for public protectionwere in prisons which do not provide theaccredited offending behaviour or drugtreatment programmes such prisoners arerequired to complete before they can beconsidered for release. 58HM Chief Inspector of Prisons has said that"the inability to progress [indeterminatesentenced]prisoners properly through thesystem is both a casualty of, and acontributor to, our overcrowded prisons." 59In an interview with The Times on 12 July2007, Jack Straw, new Secretary of State forJustice, stated that “we cannot just build ourway out of crowding”. He called for a “nationalconversation” on the use of prison and said thathe would still want this to take place even if hecould “magic an extra 10,000 places”. 60Prison overcrowding in England and Wales in the last eleven years (mid-year)Year Number of places(CNA) Number of prisoners Percentage occupation1994 48,291 48,929 101%1995 50,239 51,086 102%1996 53,152 55,256 104%1997 56,329 61,467 109%1998 61,253 65,727 107%1999 62,369 64,529 103%2000 63,346 65,194 103%2001 63,530 66,403 105%2002 64,046 71,112 111%2003 66,104 73,627 111%2004 67,505 74,468 110%2005 69,394 76,079 110%2006 70,085 77,962 110%57. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 10 May 200758. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 10 September 200759. HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales, Annual Report 2005/2006, 30 January 2007, p. 5860. Rt Hon Jack Straw, The Times, 12 July 20078www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk

Prison suicideThe suicide rate for men in prison is fivetimes greater than that for men in thecommunity. Boys aged 15-17 are even morelikely, 18 times more likely, to kill themselves inprison than in the community. 61There were 67 apparent self-inflicted deathsamong prisoners in England and Wales in2006 – a ten year low. The rate is 90.3 per100,000 prisoners. 62However, the number of self-inflicted deathsso far notified to the Prison Reform Trustbetween 1 January 2007 and 29 November2007 is 82.HM Prisons Inspectorate found that evenwith improvements in safer custody, malelocal prisons accounted for 73% of deaths incustody though they hold about 36% of thepopulation. Local prisons continue to be at thesharp end of overcrowding pressure. 63Men recently released from prison were eighttimes more likely, than the generalpopulation, to commit suicide. Women were36 times more likely to kill themselves. 64Of the 82 suicides from 1 January to 29November 2007, seven have been women, upfrom three in 2006. Six young people aged 18-21 have taken their own lives compared to twoin 2006. No children had died in custody sincetwo deaths in 2005. On 29 November 2007notification was received of the death of a 15year old boy in HMYOI Lancaster Farms. 65Almost one third of suicides occur within thefirst week of someone arriving in custody andone in seven within two days of admission. 66Nearly two-thirds of those who commitsuicide in prison have a history of drugmisuse and nearly a third have a history ofalcohol misuse. 67One study found that 72% of people whocommit suicide in prison had a history ofmental disorder. 57% had symptoms suggestiveof mental disorder at reception into prison. 68One in five suicides take place in prisonhealthcare or segregation units. 6975% of suicides in prisons between 2000 and2004 took place in prisons that wereovercrowded in that month. 70In all, 20% of men and almost 40% of womenentering custody say they have previouslyattempted suicide. According to thegovernment’s Social Exclusion Unit, more than 50prisoners commit suicide shortly after releaseeach year. 71Number of self-inflicted deaths in Prison Serviceestablishments 1997 - 2006Year Number Rate of suicides per 100,0001997 65 1111998 76 1271999 89 1402000 80 1242001 73 1102002 95 1302003 94 1262004 95 1272005 78 1032006 67 90Total 74861. Fazel, Seena et al, Suicides in male prisons in England and Wales, 1978-2003, The Lancet, Vol 366, 200562. NOMS, Safer Custody News, Jan/Feb 200763. HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales, Annual Report 2005/2006, 30 January 2007, p.14 (the reporting year runs from September 2005 toAugust 2006)64. Pratt, D. Piper, M, Appleby, L. Webb, R. Shaw, J. Suicide in recently released prisoners: a population-based cohort study, The Lancet - Vol. 368, Issue 9530, 8 July2006, pages 119-12365. NOMS, Safer Custody News, Jan/Feb 2007 and notifications received by Prison Reform Trust from NOMS66. Joint Committee on Human Rights, Deaths in Custody, Third Report of Session 2004-200567. Ibid.68. Shaw, J. Appleby, L. and Baker, D. Safer Prisons, A National Study of Prison Suicides 1999-2000 by the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide bypeople with Mental Illness (2003), London: Stationery Office69. Joint Committee on Human Rights, Deaths in Custody, Third Report of Session 2004-200570. Hansard, House of Commons, 7 November 200571. Social Exclusion Unit (2002) Reducing re-offending by ex-prisoners, London: Social Exclusion Unitwww.prisonreformtrust.org.uk 9

Sentenced population by offence, October 2007(Source: Ministry of Justice, Population in Custody, England and Wales, October 2007)20,00018,00016,00014,00012,00010,0008,000MaleFemaleTotal6,0004,0002,0000Violenceagainst thepersonSexualoffencesRobbery Burglary Theft andHandlingFraud andForgeryDrugoffencesMotoringoffencesOtheroffencesOffence notrecorded10www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk

Sentencing trendsThe number of people found guilty by thecourts has remained largely constant overrecent years, it was 1,645,831 in 1995 and1,783,396 in 2005. The number given custody atmagistrates’ courts has risen from 25,016 in 1993to 57,250 in 2005.The number of people awardedcustody at the crown court has risen from 33,722in 1993 to 43,986 in 2005. 72The number of people sentenced for violenceagainst the person was 37,649 in 1994 and40,754 in 2005. The number of those awardedcustodial sentences increased from 8,270 to12,842.The average sentence rose from 16.7 to17.8 months. 73Average custodial sentence from a crown courthas risen from 20.5 months in 1995 to 25.5months in 2005. Custody rate at the crown courthas risen from 51.6% in 1993 to 58.2% in 2004. 74Use of prison in magistrates’ courts has risenfrom 2.5% in 1994 to 4.1% of cases in 2005,meanwhile the use of the fine for indictableoffences has shrunk from 83,450 to 56,618. 75 In2005, 21% of shoplifters were sent to prison frommagistrates’ courts, compared with 17% in 1999. 76The number of life sentenced andindeterminate sentenced prisoners hasincreased considerably. There were 10,079people serving indeterminate sentences at the endof October 2007, a rise of 27% on the yearbefore. 77 This compares with fewer than 4,000 in1998 and 3,000 in 1992. 78The number sentenced to life imprisonmenthas almost doubled over the past ten yearsfrom 252 in 1994 to 570 in 2004. 79England and Wales has the highest number oflife sentenced prisoners in Europe. It has morethan Germany, France, the Russian Federationand Turkey combined. 80At the end of July 2007 the number ofprisoners serving indeterminate sentences forpublic protection (IPP) was 3,019. 81 That is anincrease of 1,500 since 20 October 2006, whenthe number of indeterminate sentences forpublic protection stood at 1,575 since theirintroduction in April 2005.The average tarifflength was around 30 months. 82 Well over 300people are being held beyond their IPP tariff. 83As at 30 September just 13 offenderssentenced to the indeterminate sentence forpublic protection have been released onlicence. 84It is estimated that there will be 12,500people serving IPPs by 2012. 85Men in prison serving 4 years or more werethe fastest growing section of the populationbetween 1995 and 2005, increasing by 86%.The population of men serving between 12months and 4 years increased by 39%, thoseserving under a year by 22%. 86Those serving sentences of 6 months or undermade up over half of the 92,452 received toprison under sentence in 2005. Those serving ayear or under made up 65% of those receivedinto prison under sentence. 87Theft and handling accounted for the largestnumber of immediate custodial receptions atover one fifth. 75% of those sentenced for theftand handling received sentences of less than sixmonths. 8872. Home Office, Sentencing Statistics 2003 and 2005 73. Home Office, Sentencing Statistics 200574. Home Office, Sentencing Statistics 2005 and 2004 75. Ibid.76. Sentencing Guidelines Council, The Sentencing Guidelines Newsletter, February 200777. Ministry of Justice, Population in Custody, England and Wales, October 200778. Home Office (2003) Prison Statistics England and Wales 2002, London: Stationery Office79. Home Office (2005) Sentencing Statistics 2004, London: Home Office80. Aebi, M. (2007) Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics, Survey 200581. Rt Hon Jack Straw, Minutes of Evidence, Constitutional Affairs Committee, 9 October 200782. Prison Reform Trust information from NOMS83. Rt Hon Jack Straw, Minutes of Evidence, Constitutional Affairs Committee, 9 October 200784. Prison Reform Trust, Information from NOMS85. Sir Duncan Nichol, the Guardian, 10 January 2007 86. Home Office, Offender Management Caseload Statistics, 200587. Ibid. 88. Ibid.www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk 11

Remand prisonersOne in five (19%) of men and 18% ofwomen held on remand before trial in2005 were acquitted. 89 The vast majorityreceived no compensation for this period ofincarceration.Only half of all remanded prisoners go onto receive a prison sentence. In 2005, 53%of men and 41% of women on remandreceived an immediate custodial sentence. 90The remand population in prisondecreased by 2% to 12,996 at 31 October2007 compared to October 2006. Withinthis total, the untried population decreased 2%to 8,282 and the convicted unsentencedpopulation decreased 3% to 4,714. 91In Scotland, the average daily remandpopulation in 2006/07 was 1,567, up 26%compared with the 2005/06 figure of 1,242and the highest level ever recorded. 92Two-thirds of people received into prisonon remand awaiting trial are accused ofnon-violent offences. In 2005, 16% wereremanded into custody for theft and handlingof stolen goods. 93In 2005, 54,455 untried people wereremanded into custody. In the same year49,104 people were remanded into prisonconvicted but awaiting sentence. 94At the end of October 2007 there were 957women on remand, 1 in 5 of the femaleprison population. 95Women on remand have been one of thefastest growing groups among the prisonpopulation. There was a 105% increase in thenumber of women remanded into custodybetween 1995 and 2005, compared to a 24%increase for men. 96According to research by the Office forNational Statistics, more than a quarter ofmen on remand have attempted suicide atsome stage in their life. For women remandprisoners the figure is even higher. More than40% have attempted suicide before enteringprison. 97On 30 June 2005 there were 1,900 people onremand awaiting trial for over three months –23% of the total. 98A significant proportion of those held onremand have been in prison previously. Onestudy found that 65% of respondents had beenremanded into custody before. 99Remand prisoners suffer from a range ofmental health problems. According to theOffice for National Statistics more than threequartersof male remand prisoners suffer from apersonality disorder. One in ten have a functionalpsychosis and more than half experiencedepression. For female remand prisoners, nearlytwo-thirds suffer from depression. Once againthese figures are higher than for sentencedprisoners. Research has found that 9% of remandprisoners require immediate transfer to theNHS. 10089. Home Office, Offender Management Caseload Statistics, 200590. Ibid.91. Ministry of Justice, Population in Custody, England and Wales, October 200792. Scottish Executive Statistical Bulletin, Criminal Justice Series, Prison Statistics Scotland, 2006/0793. Home Office, Offender Management Caseload Statistics, 200594. Ibid. NB, the same person can be remanded before and after trial, so counting twice95. Ministry of Justice, Population in Custody, England and Wales, October 200796. Home Office, Offender Management Caseload Statistics, 200597. Singleton, N et al (1998) Psychiatric Morbidity among Prisoners in England and Wales, London: Office for National Statistics98. Offender Management Caseload Statistics, 200599. Nacro (2000) Prisoner Resettlement Surveys, Unpublished100. Singleton, N. et al (1998) Psychiatric Morbidity among Prisoners in England and Wales, London: Office for National Statistics12www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk

In 2006-07, 30% of suicides in custodywere committed by remand prisoners. 101Remand prisoners are more likely thansentenced prisoners to have a history ofliving in unstable or unsuitableaccommodation. Research by the NationalAssociation for the Care and Resettlement ofOffenders (Nacro) has suggested they are fivetimes more likely to have lived in a hostelprior to imprisonment. 102More than two in three of all prisonersare unemployed when they go to jail. Butresearch by Nacro has found that remandprisoners are less likely than sentencedprisoners to have had a job before prison.The minority of remand prisoners who dohave jobs are very likely to lose them while inprison. 103Remand population by offence type (October 2007) 107Offence groupTotalViolence against the person 3,291Drugs offences 1,874Other 1,813Burglary 1,411Robbery 1,352Theft and Handling 929Sexual offences 819Not recorded 807Fraud and Forgery 557Motoring offences 143One in four men and half of all women onremand receive no visits from theirfamily. 104Prisoners on remand are half as likely tohave received advice on resettlement thansentenced prisoners, 105 and will receive nodischarge grant.Research by the Prison Reform Trust hasfound that prisons are failing to equipremand prisoners to prepare for trial. Thestudy found that only 48% of prison librariesin jails holding remand prisoners stock thestandard legal texts that under Prison Serviceregulations they must provide. 106101. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 11 June 2007102. Nacro (2000) Prisoner Resettlement Surveys, Unpublished103. Ibid.104. Social Exclusion Unit (2002) Reducing re-offending by ex-prisoners, London: Social Exclusion Unit105. Ibid.106. Ruthven, D and Seward, E (2002), Restricted Access: Legal Information for Remand Prisoners, London: Prison Reform Trust.107. Ministry of Justice, Population in Custody, England and Wales, October 2007www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk 13

Women in prisonOn 30 November 2007 the number of womenin prison stood at 4,510, 28 more than a yearbefore. 108 In the last decade the women’spopulation has more than doubled. In 1995 theaverage female prison population was 1,998. In1999 it stood at 3,355. In 2005, 12,275 womenwere received into prison. 109Over the ten year period, 1997/98 – 2006/07,the average daily female prison population inScotland has increased by 90%. The 2006/07female prison population was 353. 110Over a third of all adult women in prison hadno previous convictions – more than doublethe figure for men. 111At the end of October 2007 there were 957women on remand, a fifth of the femaleprison population. 112There was a 105% increase in the number ofwomen remanded into custody between 1995and 2005, from 3,727 to 7,660. 11364.3% of women released from prison in 2004were reconvicted within two years ofrelease. 114 This compares to fewer than four outof ten (38%) ten years ago. 115At the end of September 2007 there were 988foreign national women in prison, 22% of thefemale population. 116Of the sentenced female prison population,the majority are held for non-violentoffences. At the end of October 2007 thelargest group 30%, were held for drug offences. 117More women were sent to prison in 2005 fortheft and handling stolen goods than any othercrime. Just over 2,500 women were received intocustody for this offence.They accounted for almosta third (31%) of all women sentenced toimmediate custody in 2005. 118The majority of women serve very shortsentences. In 2005 nearly two-thirds (63%) weresentenced to custody for six months or less. 119Most of the rise in female prison numbers canbe explained by a significant increase in theseverity of sentences. In 1995, 8.9% of womenconvicted of an indictable offence were sent toprison; in 2005, 15.2% received a custodialsentence. 120At the end of September 2006 the averagedistance female prisoners were held from theirhome was 58 miles. 121 60% of women are held inprisons outside their home region. 122A forthcoming University of Oxford report onthe health of 500 women prisoners, states that:‘women in custody are five times more likely tohave a mental health concern than women inthe general population, with 78% exhibitingsome level of psychological disturbance whenmeasured on reception to prison, comparedwith a figure of 15% for the general adultfemale population’. 58% of women had useddrugs daily in the six months before prison and75% of women prisoners had taken an illicit drugin those six months. Crack cocaine, heroin,cannabis and benzodiazepines were the most108. NOMS, Prison Population and Accommodation Briefing for 30 November 2007 and 1 December 2006109. Home Office, Offender Management Caseload Statistics, 2005110. Scottish Executive Statistical Bulletin, Criminal Justice Series, Prison Statistics Scotland, 2006/07111. Home Office, Offender Management Caseload Statistics, 2005112. Ministry of Justice, Population in Custody, England and Wales, October 2007113. Home Office, Offender Management Caseload Statistics, 2005114. Home Office Statistical Bulletin, Re-offending of adults: results from the 2004 cohort115. Home Office, Offender Management Caseload Statistics, 2003116. Ministry of Justice, Population in Custody, England and Wales, September 2007117. Ministry of Justice, Population in Custody, England and Wales, October 2007118. Home Office, Offender Management Caseload Statistics, 2005 119. Ibid.120. Home Office, Sentencing Statistics 2005121. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 9 January 2007122. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 19 June 200714www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk

widely used drugs.The Oxford researchers alsofound that women coming into prison had verypoor physical, psychological and social health,worse than that of women in social class V, thegroup within the general population who have thepoorest health. 123Of all the women who are sent to prison, 37%say they have attempted suicide at some timein their life. 124One in four women in prison has spent time inlocal authority care as a child. Nearly 40% ofwomen in prison left school before the age of 16years, almost one in ten were aged 13 oryounger. 125Over half the women in prison say they havesuffered domestic violence and one in threehas experienced sexual abuse. 126Around one-third of women prisoners losetheir homes, and often their possessions, whilein prison. 127Women prisoners are often inadequatelyprepared for release. According to the SocialExclusion Unit report only 24% of women with aprior skill had the chance to put their skills intopractice through prison work. Just 11% of womenreceived help with housing matters whilst inprison. 128In March 2007, the Corston review ofvulnerable women in the criminal justicesystem, commissioned by the home secretaryfollowing the deaths of six women at Styalprison, stated:“The government shouldannounce within six months a clear strategyto replace existing women’s prisons withsuitable, geographically dispersed, small,multi-functional custodial centres within 10years.” 129The Corston review made several furtherrecommendations, including:“Communitysolutions for non-violent women offendersshould be the norm”, and;“There must be astrong consistent message right from the topof government, with full reasons given, insupport of its stated policy that prison is notthe right place for women offenders whopose no risk to the public”. 130An ICM public opinion poll commissioned bySmartJustice in February 2007 found that, of1,006 respondents, 86% supported thedevelopment of local centres for women toaddress the causes of their offending. Overtwo thirds (67%) said prison was not likely toreduce offending. 131123. The Corston Report, Home Office, March 2007 (quotes University of Oxford findings)124. Ibid.125. Social Exclusion Unit (2002) Reducing re-offending by ex-prisoners, London: Social Exclusion Unit.126. Ibid.127. Ibid.128. Ibid.129. The Corston Report, Home Office, March 2007130. Ibid.131. SmartJustice (2007) ‘Public say: stop locking up so many women’.www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk 15

Mothers and fathers in custody, prisoners’ childrenHome Office research has found that 66%of women in prison have dependentchildren under 18. Of those, 34% hadchildren under 5, a further 40% children agedfrom 5 to 10. 132 Each year it is estimated thatmore than 17,700 children are separated fromtheir mother by imprisonment.Just 5% of women prisoners’ children remainin their own home once their mother hasbeen sentenced. 133At least a third of mothers are lone parentsbefore imprisonment. 134Only half of the women who had lived, orwere in contact with, their children prior toimprisonment had received a visit sincegoing to prison. 135One Home Office study showed that for85% of mothers, prison was the first timethey had been separated from their childrenfor any significant length of time. 136An ICM public opinion poll, commissionedby SmartJustice in March 2007, found that,of 1,006 respondents, almost three quarters(73%) thought that mothers of youngchildren should not be sent to prison fornon-violent crime. 137There are 84 places in mother and babyunits in prisons reserved for mothers whohave children under the age of 18 months.In 2004, 114 women gave birth while servinga prison sentence. 138There are currently 39 children in motherand baby units. 139HM Prisons Inspectorate has found that 25% ofwomen prisoners had their children’s father ora spouse or partner caring for their children.25% were cared for by their grandmothers; 29%were cared for by other family members or friendsand 12% were in care, with foster parents, or hadbeen adopted. 140In 2004, for the first time the governmentannounced that a record will be kept ofprisoners’ children. Information will be recordedon the National Offender Management InformationSystem. 141 This commitment has yet to beimplemented due to IT systems failure.Just over half (55%) of male prisoners describedthemselves as living with a partner beforeimprisonment 142 and a third of female prisonersdescribed themselves as living with a husbandor partner before imprisonment. 143Research has found that 59% of men 144 inprison and two-thirds of women in prison havedependent children under 18. 145It is estimated that every year150,000 childrenhave a parent in prison. During their time atschool 7% of children experience their father’simprisonment. 146Prisoners’ families, including their children,often experience increased financial, housing,emotional and health problems during asentence. Nearly a third (30%) of prisoners’children suffer significant mental health problems,compared with 10% of the general population. 147132. Home Office Research Study 208133. Prison Reform Trust (2000) Justice for Women: The Need for Reform, London: Prison Reform Trust134. Social Exclusion Unit (2002) Reducing re-offending by ex-prisoners, London: Social Exclusion Unit 135. Ibid.136. Home Office Research Study 162 (1997), Imprisoned Women and Mothers, Home Office: London137. SmartJustice (2007) ‘Public say: stop locking up so many women’.138. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 13 July 2005 139. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 19 June 2007140. HM Prisons Inspectorate (1997) Women in Prison: A Thematic Review by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales, London: Home Office141. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 12 September 2004 142. Home Office (2001) Criminality Survey: Drugs Follow-Up, London: Home Office143. Hamlyn, B. and Lews, D. (2000) Women prisoners: a survey of their work and training experiences in custody and on release, Home Office Research Study2000, London: Home Office144. Hansard, House of Commons, 28 April 2003145. Hamlyn, B. and Lewis, D. (2000) Women prisoners: a survey of their work and training experiences in custody and on release, Home Office Research Study2000, London: Home Office146. Department for Education and Skills, (2003) Every Child Matters, London: Stationery Office147. Social Exclusion Unit (2002) Reducing re-offending by ex-prisoners, London: Social Exclusion Unit, and Action for Prisoners’ Families (2001) No-one’s EverAsked Me, London: Action for Prisoners’ Families and Young Voice (2001) Parenting Under Pressure, London: Young Voice16www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk

During their sentence 45% of people losecontact with their families and manyseparate from their partners. 148Charles Clarke, when home secretary,stressed the importance of family: “As weconsider the practical steps intended to equipoffenders with the means to avoid re-offendingwe also need to remember the vital role offamily, friends and community. I believe that wesometimes fail to give enough emphasis to thepowerful impact of supportive relationships toprisoners – to realise that offenders often caredeeply about letting down those closest tothem, and want to show that they can change,but somehow just never get there.An offenderis much less likely to re-offend if he feels partof a family and community, from which hereceives support as well as owes obligations.” 149However, many prisoners are still held a longway from their homes. At the end ofSeptember 2006 the average distance women inprison were held from their home or committalcourt address was 58 miles. Men were held anaverage of 50 miles from their home orcommittal court address.Around 10,700prisoners were held over 100 miles away. 151In recent years the number of prison visits hasfallen despite an increasing prisonpopulation. 152The government’s Social Exclusion Unit hasfound that many families have considerabledifficulty getting through to prisons to bookvisits. 153Home Office research has found thatmaintaining family contact is associatedwith successful resettlement. It found thatprisoners who had at least one visit from familyor partners were twice as likely to have anemployment, education or training placearranged on release and three times morelikely to have accommodation arranged asthose who did not receive any visits.Thefrequency of visits also increased the likelihoodof having a job or accommodation.Theresearch report concluded that ‘opportunitiesfor involving families in the resettlement ofprisoners should be increased’. 150148. Nacro (2000) The forgotten majority, London: Nacro149. PRT Annual Lecture 2005, Rt Hon Charles Clarke MP150. Niven, S. and Stewart, D. (2005) Resettlement outcomes on release from prison, Home Office Findings 248, London: Home Office151. A prisoner's home area is defined as their home address on their reception into prison. For prisoners with no address, the address of the relevant committalcourt is used as the home address. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 9 January 2007152. Social Exclusion Unit (2002) Reducing re-offending by ex-prisoners, London: Social Exclusion Unit153. Ibid.www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk 17

Social characteristics of prisonersSocial characteristics of prisoners(Source: Social Exclusion Unit Report ‘Reducing re-offending by ex-prisoners’, July 2002)Characteristic General population Prison populationRan away from home as a child 11% 47% of male and 50% of femalesentenced prisonersTaken into care as a child 2% 27%Regularly truanted from school 3% 30%Excluded from school 2% 49% of male and 33% of femalesentenced prisonersNo qualifications 15% 52% of men and 71% of womenNumeracy at or below Level 123% 65%(level expected 11 year-olds)Reading ability at or below Level 1 21-23% 48%Unemployed before imprisonment 5% 67%Homeless 0.9% 32%Suffer from two or more mentaldisorders5% men and 2% women 72% of male and 70% of femalesentenced prisonersPsychotic disorder 0.5% men and 0.6% women 7% of male and 14% of femalesentenced prisonersDrug use in the previous year 13% men 8% women 66% of male and 55% of femalesentenced prisonersHazardous drinking 38% men and 15% women 63% of male and 39% of femalesentenced prisoners18www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk

Young people in prison (18-20 year olds)At the end of October 2007 there were9,544 young people aged 18-20 in prison inEngland and Wales, a rise of 3% on the yearbefore. At the end of October 2007 moreyoung people were in prison for the offence ofviolence against the person than any otheroffence. 154Young offender direct sentenced receptionsin Scotland increased by 5% to 2,286 in2006/07 from 2,170 in 2005/06. 155In October 2007, 67% more young peoplewere in custody serving indeterminatesentences than in October 2006. The totalnumber increased from 405 in October 2006to 678 in 2007. 156HM Chief Inspector of Prisons said in herannual report for 2005/6:“Young adultsremain a group whose needs have not beensystematically addressed over the last fiveyears, in spite of their evident needs andtheir high re-offending rates”. 157In 2005 12,644 young people were sent toprison under sentence. In the last ten yearsthe number of sentenced young adults enteringprison has increased by 14%. Over that timethe number of sentenced young womenimprisoned has more than doubled. 158A study published in November 2004 by thePrison Reform Trust based on interviewswith young people and information suppliedby Independent Monitoring Boards revealedthat whilst in custody many young adultsare frequently moved around the prisonestate causing great disruption and distress.It also showed that, in general, they experienceimpoverished regimes. 159In January 2007, 2,647 young offenders,approximately a quarter of the total, wereheld more than 50 miles from their home. 160HM Chief Inspector of Prisons has commentedthat:“these considerable distances from homecompromise the resettlement and rehabilitationof young adults”. 161Fewer than half of young adults surveyed byHM Prisons Inspectorate said that theyknew where to get help to findaccommodation, drug treatment orcontinuing education when they leftprison. 162Reconviction rates are particularly high foryoung people. 75.3% of young men releasedfrom prison in 2004, were reconvicted withintwo years of release. 163Nearly half (42%) of first time offenders areyoung adults. 164Young offenders have poor literacy andnumeracy skills. Just under a third have basicskills deficits compared to under a quarter ofthose aged 25 and over in custody. Nearlythree-quarters were excluded from school atsome stage, and 63 % were unemployed at thetime of their arrest. 165In 2004-5, 54% of those leaving youngoffender institutions had no recordededucation, training or employment place.154. Ministry of Justice, Population in Custody, England and Wales, October 2007. This figure includes some 21 year-olds not classified as part of the adultpopulation155. Scottish Executive Statistical Bulletin, Criminal Justice Series, Prison Statistics Scotland, 2006/07156. Ministry of Justice, Population in Custody, England and Wales, October 2007157. HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales, Annual Report 2005/2006, 30 January 2007, p. 39158. Home Office, Offender Management Caseload Statistics, 2005159. Solomon, E. (2004) A Lost Generation: the experiences of young people in prison, London: Prison Reform Trust160. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 15 March 2007161. HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales, Annual Report 2005/2006, 30 January 2007, p. 39 162. Ibid.163. Home Office Statistical Bulletin, Re-offending of adults: results from the 2004 cohort164. Social Exclusion Unit (2002) Reducing re-offending by ex-prisoners, London: Social Exclusion Unit 165. Ibid.166. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 2 October 2006www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk 19

13% left with no recorded accommodation. 166More than a third (35%) of sentenced youngmen say they have gained a qualificationwhilst in prison. 167HM Prisons Inspectorate found thatpurposeful activity was unsatisfactory infive out of eight young adult prisons. Onlyhalf of all young adults said they had donesomething that would help preventreoffending. 168An average of 3.3 hours per week is spenton physical education in young offenderinstitutions in 2006-07. An average of eighthours per week is spent on other educationalactivities. 169Mental health problems, drug and alcoholabuse are common amongst young peoplein prison. They are more likely than adults tosuffer from mental health problems and aremore likely to commit or attempt suicide thanboth younger and older prisoners. 170Up to 30% of young women in custodyreport having been sexually abused inchildhood. 171It is estimated that a quarter of young menin prison are fathers and four out ten youngwomen in prison are mothers. 172Young offender institutions and juvenileestablishments have the highest assaultrates of any prisons in England and Wales. 173Sentences being served by young adults - October 2007October 2007Male Female TotalTotal under sentence 7,138 308 7,446Fine defaulter 3 0 3Less than or equal to 6 months 863 54 917Greater than 6 months to less than 12 months 399 22 42112 months to less than 4 years 3,681 149 3,8304 years or more (exc. indeterminate sentences) 1,533 64 1,597Indeterminate sentences 659 19 678Non-criminal prisoners 96 4 100(Source: Drawn from, Ministry of Justice, Population in Custody, England and Wales, October 2007)Percentage change2006 to 2007Male Female Total+7% +1% +7%* * *+3% -14% +1%-2% * -2%+6% +1% +6%0% +7% +1%+69% * +67%+3% * +1%167. Home Office (2001) Jobs and Homes - a survey of prisoners nearing release, Findings 173, London: Home Office168. HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales, Annual Report 2005/2006, 30 January 2007, p. 14169. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 19 July 2007170. Singleton et al (2000) Psychiatric Morbidity among young offenders in England and Wales, London: Office for National Statistics171. Solomon, E. (2004) A Lost Generation: the experiences of young people in prison, London: Prison Reform Trust172. A survey carried out by Young Voice in 2001 found that 51 % of men in prison under the age of 23 and 79 % of women in the same age group were parents,Young Voice (2001) Parenting Under Pressure, London:Young Voice173. Solomon, E. (2003) A Measure of Success: An analysis of the Prison Service’s performance against its Key Peformance Indicators, London: Prison Reform Trust20www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk

Children in PrisonIn October 2007 there were 2,441 15-17year olds in prison and 256 12-15 year oldsin privately run secure training centres.There were 220 children in local authoritysecure children’s homes. 174The number of 15-17 year olds in prisonincreased by 86% in ten years from 1995 to2005. 175In 1992 only 100 children under 15 weresentenced to penal custody, sentences wereall awarded under the ‘grave crimes’provision (Section 53 of the 1933 Childrenand Young Persons Act) for children who hadcommitted serious offences such as robberyor violent offences. In 2005 - 2006, 824children under 15 were incarcerated but only48 of these came into the same grave crimessentencing framework (now Section 90/91 ofthe Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act2000). 176Thirty children have died in penal custodysince 1990 most by self inflicted death butone following restraint. 177In August 2004, 14 year old Adam Rickwoodbecame the youngest child to die inpenal custody in recent memory.Every year an estimated 70,000 school-agechildren enter the youth justice system. 17811% of prisoners involved in assaultsclassified as serious are children, despitebeing only 3% of the prison population. 179In 2005/6 around a quarter of boys in custodywere held over 50 miles away from theirhome. Almost half of girls were. 180Reconviction rates are very high for children.The latest available data for juvenile offendersdischarged from custody in the first quarter of2005 shows a 76.2% rate of re-offending. 181At the end of October 2007 more childrenwere in prison for robbery than any otheroffence. 182Many children in prison have a backgroundof severe social exclusion. Of those in custodyof school age, over a quarter have literacyand numeracy levels of an average seven-yearold. Over half of those under 18 in custody havea history of being in care or social servicesinvolvement and studies have found that 45%have been permanently excluded from school. 183Two fifths of boys and a quarter of girls incustody say they have experienced violenceat home. A third of girls and one in twenty boyssay they have been subject to sexual abuse ofsome form. 184Just over a third of boys and girls have feltunsafe at some time in custody. One in tenboys and girls in prison say they have been hit,kicked or assaulted by a member of staff. 185Behavioural and mental health problems areparticularly prevalent amongst children inprison. Of prisoners aged 16-20, around 85%show signs of a personality disorder and 10%exhibit signs of psychotic illness, for exampleschizophrenia. 186174. Ministry of Justice, Population in Custody, England and Wales, October 2007175. Home Office, Offender Management Caseload Statistics, 2005176. Youth Justice Board Annual Statistics 2005/6177. http://www.inquest.org.uk/ and notifications received by Prison ReformTrust from NOMS178. HM government – Reducing re-offending through skills and employment, CM 6702, December 2005179. NOMS, Safer Custody News, Jan/Feb 2007180. Youth Justice Board Annual Statistics 2005/6181. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 25 October 2007182. Ministry of Justice, Population in Custody, England and Wales, October 2007183. Youth Justice Board Information, 2003184. Social Exclusion Unit (2002) Reducing re-offending by ex-prisoners, London: Social Exclusion Unit185. HM Inspectorate of Prisons and Youth Justice Board, Juveniles in Custody, 2003-2004, London186. Singleton et al (2000) Psychiatric Morbidity among young offenders in England and Wales, London: Office for National Statisticswww.prisonreformtrust.org.uk 21

Drug and alcohol abuse are major problems. The National Audit Office has highlighted theOf prisoners aged 16-20, over half reported high number of movements of childrendependence on a drug in the year prior tobetween jails to make way for new arrivals,imprisonment. Over half the young women and disrupting education and training courses andtwo-thirds of the young male prisoners had a leading to inconsistent support andhazardous drinking habit prior to enteringsupervision. The NAO reports that there werecustody. 1872,400 movements between April 2002 and January2003. 189The number of children assessed as vulnerablein custody was 1,148 in 2007, a rise of 12% on2006, which had risen by 12% on 2005. 188187. Singleton et al (2000) Psychiatric Morbidity among young offenders in England and Wales, London: Office for National Statistics188. Hansard House of Commons written answers, 28 March 2007189. National Audit Office (2004) Youth Offending: The delivery of community and custodial sentences, London: Stationary Office22www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk

Minority ethnic prisonersAt the end of December 2005, one in four ofthe prison population, 19,549 prisoners, wasfrom a minority ethnic group. 190 Thiscompares to one in eleven of the generalpopulation.Of all those sentenced to custody in the lastquarter of 2005 more than one in five wasfrom a minority ethnic group. 191Overall black prisoners account for thelargest number of minority ethnic prisoners(57%) and their numbers are rising. 192Between 1999 and 2002 the total prisonpopulation grew by just over 12% but thenumber of black prisoners increased by 51%. 193At the end of June 2005, 35% (6,863) ofminority ethnic prisoners were foreignnationals. 194In 2002 there were more African Caribbeanentrants to prison (over 11,500) than therewere to UK universities (around 8,000). 196Black people are just over six times morelikely than white people to be stopped andsearched. Black people are three times morelikely to be arrested than white people.Youngblack people and young people of ‘mixed’ethnicity, when sentenced, are more likely toreceive more punitive sentences than youngwhite people. Whereas black young offendersaccounted for 6% of the total offences in 2005-6,they received 11.6% of custodial sentences. 197Around 40% of black and Asian prisonersreport having felt unsafe, and only twothirdssay that staff treat them withrespect. 198Out of the British national prisonpopulation, 11% are black and 5% are Asian.For black Britons this is significantly higher thanthe 2% of the general population theyrepresent. 195190. Home Office (2005) Population in Custody, Quarterly Brief September to December 2005191. Home Office (2005) Population in Custody, Quarterly Brief September to December 2005192. Ibid.193. HM Prison Service and Commission for Racial Equality (2003) Implementing Race Equality in Prisons - a shared agenda for change, London: HM PrisonService194. Home Office (2005) Population in Custody, Quarterly Brief September to December 2005195. Ibid.196. HM Prison Service and Commission for Racial Equality (2003) Implementing Race Equality in Prisons - a shared agenda for change, London: HM PrisonService197. House of Commons Home Affairs Committee, Young Black People and the Criminal Justice System, Second Report of Session 2006-07, 22 May 2007198. HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales, Annual Report 2005/2006, 30 January 2007, p. 50www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk 23

Foreign national prisoners 199At 30 September 2007 there were 11,211foreign national prisoners (defined as non-UKpassport holders), 14% of the overall prisonpopulation. 200These prisoners come from 169 countries, butjust under half are from ten countries(Jamaica, Nigeria, Irish Republic,Vietnam,Pakistan, China, Somalia, Poland, India andIraq).In February 2007, approximately 1,300 foreignnationals were held in prison or immigrationdetention beyond the length of theirsentence. 201A Prison Service survey found that nearly90% of prisons holding foreign nationalprisoners are not making regular use of thetranslation service available.The vast majority of foreign nationalprisoners, four out of ten sentenced menand eight out of ten sentenced women,have committed drug offences, mainly drugtrafficking. Six out ten foreign nationalprisoners are serving sentences of more thanfour years.More than one in five women in prison, 988,are foreign nationals. 202There has been a 152% increase in foreignnational prisoners in the last ten yearscompared to a 55% increase in Britishnationals.In twelve prisons, foreign national prisonersmake up a quarter or more of thepopulation. 203 Recently two prisons, Canterburyand Bullwood Hall have been reserved for anentirely foreign national population.199. All the figures in this section, unless otherwise stated, are from Prison Reform Trust briefing paper (May 2004) Forgotten Prisoners: the plight of foreignnational prisoners in England and Wales200. Ministry of Justice, Population in Custody, England and Wales, September 2007201. Letter from Lin Homer of the IND to the Home Affairs Select Committee, 19 February 2007202. Ministry of Justice, Population in Custody, England and Wales, September 2007203. Ibid24www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk

Elderly prisoners (aged 60 and over)On 30 June 2007 there were 2,221 prisonersaged over 60 in England and Wales, including405 over 70. 204 The number of sentencedprisoners aged 60 and over rose by 169%between 1995 and 2005. 205More than one in ten older prisoners belongto a minority ethnic group, far higher thanthe proportion of the general population. 206The majority of men in prison aged 60 andover (56%) have committed sex offences. Thenext highest offence is violence against theperson (20%) followed by drug offences (11%). 207In March 2007, the number of prisoners over60 serving sentences of 1-5 years was 541.551 were serving sentences of 6-10 years. 749were serving sentences of over 10 years. 208The number and proportion of men aged over60 sentenced to prison by the courts hasincreased significantly. Between 1995 and 2000the number of elderly males given custodialsentences increased by 55%. In 1995 finesaccounted for the majority of sentences (31%).By 2000 imprisonment accounted for themajority of sentences (31%) and fines accountedfor 24%. 209The significant rise in the number of maleprisoners aged over 60 is not matched by acorresponding rise in the number of menconvicted by the courts for indictableoffences. Between 1995 and 2000 the number ofconvictions for this age group increased by only8%. 210The increase in the elderly prisonpopulation is not explained by demographicchanges, nor can it be explained by a socalled‘elderly crime wave’. The increases aredue to harsher sentencing policies which haveresulted in the courts sending a largerproportion of criminals aged over 60 to prisonto serve longer sentences.This has particularlybeen the case in relation to sex offenders anddrug traffickers.The courts are also tending toimprison those older offenders whose crimesmost challenge society’s age-relatedstereotypes. 211A Department of Health study conducted in1999/2000 of 203 sentenced male prisonersaged 60 and over in 15 establishments inEngland and Wales (about one-fifth of thattotal population) reported that 85% hadone or more major illnesses reported in theirmedical records and 83% reported at leastone chronic illness or disability wheninterviewed. The most common illnesses werepsychiatric, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal andrespiratory. 212More than half of all elderly prisoners sufferfrom a mental disorder. The most commondisorder is depression which often emerges as aresult of imprisonment. 213In 2003, 21 people aged over 65 died ofnatural causes whilst in prison. 214204. Prison Reform Trust, information from Offender Policy and Rights Unit, 30 June 2007205. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 20 March 2007, and Offender Management Caseload Statistics, 2005206. Prison Reform Trust (2003) Growing Old in Prison, London: Prison Reform Trust207. Prison Reform Trust, information from Offender Policy and Rights Unit, 30 June 2007208. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 15 March 2007209. HM Inspectorate of Prisons (2004) ‘No problems – old and quiet’: Older prisoners in England and Wales, a thematic review by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons,London: Stationery Office210. Ibid.211. Ibid.212. Prison Reform Trust (2003) Growing Old in Prison, London: Prison Reform Trust213. Ibid.214. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 10 February 2004www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk 25

Most older prisoners are held more than50 miles from home, causing particularproblems for visitors, many of whom arethemselves older people. 215A thematic review of older prisoners byHM Inspectorate of Prisons published inDecember 2004 found little evidence thattheir individual needs were being assessedor provision made for them. It concluded‘Prisons are primarily designed for, andinhabited by, young and able-bodied people;and in general the needs of the old andinfirm are not met. 216 A number of academicstudies and a report by the Prison ReformTrust and the Centre for Policy on Ageinghave also concluded that the health, socialcare, rehabilitation and resettlement needs ofolder prisoners are not being satisfactorilymet.Despite the dramatic rise in the number ofelderly prisoners the Home Office has noplans to put in place a separate nationalstrategy for elderly prisoners. 217 TheDepartment of Health is developing a healthpolicy for older prisoners and the DisabilityDiscrimination Act (2005) now applies toprison. 218215. HM Inspectorate of Prisons (2004) ‘No problems – old and quiet’: Older prisoners in England and Wales A thematic review by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons,London: Stationery Office216. Ibid.217. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 1 May 2000218. Personal communication between PRT, CPA and Department of Health.26www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk

Mental health needs of prisoners 219“On the wing there was plenty of evidenceof behaviour brought on by mentaldistress… one young man only ever worethe same pair of jeans and a green nyloncagoule. He never wore shoes or socks, neverwent out on exercise, hardly ever spoke toanyone and was understood to have been takenadvantage of sexually by predatory prisoners.He was in his early 20s with many years inprison still ahead of him.Another had a habit ofinserting objects into his body: a pencil in anarm, matchsticks in his ankles.” 220Many prisoners have mental healthproblems. 72% of male and 70% of femalesentenced prisoners suffer from two or moremental health disorders. 20% of prisonershave four of the five major mental healthdisorders. 221Neurotic and personality disorders areparticularly prevalent - 40% of male and63% of female sentenced prisoners have aneurotic disorder, over three times the levelin the general population. 64% of male and50% of female sentenced prisoners have apersonality disorder.According to the NHS plan, around 5,000prisoners at any time, between 5-8%, havesevere and enduring mental illnesses. Theplan also said that, by 2004,“all people withsevere mental illness will be in receipt oftreatment, and no prisoner with serious mentalillness will leave prison without a care plan anda care coordinator.” 222A significant number of prisoners suffer froma psychotic disorder. 7% of male and 14% offemale sentenced prisoners have a psychoticdisorder; 14 and 23 times the level in thegeneral population.10% of men and 30% of women have hadprevious psychiatric admission before theycome into prison. 223A fifth of Scottish prisoners reported thatthey had been put on ACT (Scottish PrisonService Suicide Risk Management Process)and 38% of prisoners indicated that theyhad experienced mental health problems. 224A total of 23,420 self-harm incidents wererecorded during 2006 by the PrisonService. 225Women accounted for 11,503 or 49% oftotal incidents – even though they form onlyaround 6% of the prison population. 226Latest available data shows that in the threemonths from 1 January – 29 March 2007,there were 2,839 female self-harm incidents(down against 3,200 in the first threemonths of 2006). In the same timescale, therewere 2,904 male self-harm incidents (comparedto 2,636 in the same period in 2006). 227219. All the statistics in this section are taken from Singleton et al (1998) Psychiatric Morbidity among Prisoners in England and Wales, London: Office forNational Statistics, unless otherwise stated.220. Erwin James, Foreword to ‘Troubled Inside: Responding to the mental health needs of men in prison’, Prison Reform Trust, 2005221. Paul Goggins, minister for prisons and probation speaking in a debate on prisons and mental health, Hansard, 17 March 2004222. Department of Health, 2000: The NHS Plan: a plan for investment, a plan for reform223. Department of Health, Conference Report, Sharing Good Practice in Prison Health, 4/5 June 2007224. Scottish Prison Service, 9th Prisoner Survey 2006225. NOMS, Safer Custody News, May/June 2007226. Ibid.227. Ibid.www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk 27

A high proportion of prisoners have beentreated in psychiatric hospitals - 20% ofmale and 15% of female sentencedprisoners have previously been admittedfor in-patient psychiatric care.The number of restricted patients underthe Mental Health Act in England andWales was 3,395 at the end 2005, thehighest for a decade. 779 of the patientswere transferred from prison to hospital.Those released from restricted hospitals in2003 have a 7% reconviction rate after twoyears. 228In the quarter ending December 2006, 38prisoners had been assessed and werewaiting three months or more before beingtransferred to hospital. Many prisoners alsohave long waits before an assessment takesplace. 229Mental health in-reach teams areoperating in 102 prisons. 230Prison regimes do little to address themental health needs of prisoners. Researchhas found that 28% of male sentencedprisoners with evidence of psychosis reportedspending 23 or more hours a day in their cells- over twice the proportion of those withoutmental health problems.Prisoners with severe mental health problemsare often not diverted to more appropriatesecure provision. The Chief Inspector of Prisonshas estimated, based on visits to local prisons,that 41% of prisoners being held in health carecentres should have been in secure NHSaccommodation. 231 Research has found that thereare up to 500 patients in prison health carecentres with mental health problems sufficientlyill to require immediate NHS admission. 232 Thegovernment has committed itself to a programmeof standardising court diversion schemes acrossthe country. 233Figures for 2006 showed a 30% rise since 2002in the transfer of seriously mentally illprisoners to specialised psychiatricfacilities. 234The resettlement needs of prisoners withmental health problems are not being met.Research found that 96% of mentally-disorderedprisoners were put back into the communitywithout supported housing, including 80% ofthose who had committed the most seriousoffences; more than three quarters had beengiven no appointment with outside carers. 235228. Home Office Statistical Bulletin, Statistics of Mentally Disordered Offenders 2005, 1 March 2007229. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 27 March 2007230. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 19 February 2007231. HM Inspectorate of Prisons (2004) Annual Report of HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales 2002-2003, London: Stationery Office232. Reed, J. (2003) Mental Health Care in Prisons, British Journal of Psychiatry 182, p287-288233. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 12 September 2005234. NOMS, Safer Custody News, July/August 2007235. Melzer et al (2002) Prisoners with psychosis in England and Wales: a one-year national follow-up study, The Howard Journal 41, page 1-1328www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk

Mental health issues amongst prisoners areoften linked to previous experiences ofviolence at home and sexual abuse. Abouthalf of women and about a quarter of men inprison have suffered from violence at homewhile about one in three women report havingsuffered sexual abuse compared with just underone in 10 men.In a thematic review of the care andsupport of prisoners with mental healthneeds, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, AnneOwers, said that “prison has become, to fartoo large an extent, the default setting forthose with a wide range of mental andemotional disorders.” 237Half of all those sentenced to custody arenot registered with a GP prior to being sentto prison. 236236. Social Exclusion Unit (2002) Reducing re-offending by ex-prisoners, London: Social Exclusion Unit237. HM Inspectorate of Prisons, The mental health of prisoners, a thematic review of the care and support of prisoners with mental health needs,October 2007www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk 29

DrugsThe number of people in prison for drugoffences is high and growing. At the end ofOctober 2007, 15% of male sentencedprisoners had been convicted of drug offences.In 1995 drug offences accounted for 10% ofmale sentenced prisoners. For the sentencedfemale prison population at the end ofOctober 2007 drug offences accounted for30% of prisoners, by far the largest proportion.In 1995 they accounted for 27% of thesentenced female prison population. 238There is a much wider group of prisonerswhose offence is in some way drug related.Shoplifting, burglary, vehicle crime and theft canbe linked to drug misuse. Over half ofprisoners (55%) report committing offencesconnected to their drug taking, with the needfor money to buy drugs the most commonlycited factor. 239In 18% of violent crimes reported to the2004/5 British Crime Survey, the victimbelieved that the offender was under theinfluence of drugs. More than a quarter (29%)of robbery victims believed their attacker to beunder the influence of drugs. 240Epidemiological studies show that around55% of those received into custody areproblematic drug users. That is annualthroughput of 70,000 a year, or 39,000 atanyone time.According to the Home Officethat means around one sixth of problematicdrug users are in prison at any one time. 241A study for the Home Office found thatalmost half of recently sentenced maleprisoners (47%) had used heroin, crack orcocaine in the 12 months prior toimprisonment. Heroin was the drug mostlikely to be used on a daily basis. Overall, 73%of respondents had taken an illegal drug in theyear before entering prison. 242Half of Scottish prisoners have reportedthat they had used drugs in prison at somepoint in the past. 74% of these said that theiruse had decreased while in prison. 243In some inner city local prisons as many aseight out of ten men are found to have classA drugs in their system on reception 244 andin the local women’s prison, Styal, the samenumber of new arrivals are thought to havedrug problems. 245 However a range of studiesplaces the mean figure at 55% – this equates toapproximately 74,250 people who use class Adrugs entering prison each year (based onannual receptions of 135,000). 246Many prisoners have never received helpwith their drug problems. According to theSocial Exclusion Unit officers at HMPManchester have estimated that 70% ofprisoners come into the jail with a drugsmisuse problem but that 80% of these havenever had any contact with drug treatmentservices. 247238. Home Office, Offending Management Caseloads Statistics 2005 and Ministry of Justice, Population In Custody, England and Wales, October 2007239. Ramsay, M. (ed) (2003), Prisoners’ drug use and treatment: seven studies, Home Office Research Findings 186, London: Home Office240. Home Office Statistical Bulletin, 02/06, January 2006: Violent Crime Overview, Homicide and Gun Crime 2004/5, 2nd edition241. Home Office FOI Release 4631, 6 Dec 2006242. Ibid.243. Scottish Prison Service, 9th Prisoner Survey 2006244. Interview with Prison Service Director General, Phil Wheatley, Independent, December 1st 2003245. HM Prisons Inspectorate (2004) Report on a full unannounced inspection of HMP and YOI Styal 19-23 January 2004, London: Home Office246. Government reply to the first report from the Home Affairs Committee on the Rehabilitation of Prisoners Session 2004-2005, HC193247. Social Exclusion Unit (2002) Reducing re-offending by ex-prisoners, London: Social Exclusion Unit30www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk

Drug use amongst prisoners in custody isreported to be high. A recent Home Officestudy found that four out ten prisoners saidthey had used drugs at least once whilst intheir current prison, a quarter had used inthe past month and 16% in the past week.Cannabis and opiates were the drugs mostoften used. Almost a third of prisonersreported cannabis use and one in five opiateuse in their current prison, while 9% and 10%respectively reported using these drugs in thepast week. 248All prisoners are subject to randommandatory drug tests. 9% of the prisonpopulation tested positive from randommandatory drug tests compared with over20% 10 years ago. 249 But a recent HomeOffice study found that ‘mandatory drugtesting results generally underestimate thelevel of drug misuse as reported byprisoners’. 250Concerns have been raised about thequality of detoxification, especially forprisoners who have been dependent oncrack cocaine. 251 Research has found thatarrangements for detoxification appear tovary considerably between differentprisons. 252Nine out of ten young adult prisoners saythey used drugs prior to imprisonment butonly one in three young offender institutionsprovide intensive drug treatmentprogrammes. 254Transfers between prisons due toovercrowding often disrupt drug treatment.Recent research found that a third of prisonswere unlikely to be able to continue thetreatment of prisoners transferred to them. 255Drug use on release from prison is very high.One survey of prisoners who had mostly servedshort sentences and had used drugs in the 12months before imprisonment, found that 77%admitted taking illegal drugs since release. 256The Social Exclusion Unit found that the‘chances of continuing drugs programmes andsupport on release are very slim’ andconcluded,‘prisoners are often viewed as ‘newcases’ when they are released and have tojoin the back of the queue’. 257 The HomeOffice has no comprehensive tracking systems inplace to monitor access to community drugtreatment but is currently developing work in thisarea. 258In 2006-07, 7,675 drug treatmentcompletions were delivered. Thisrepresented an achievement of 29.6% inexcess of target. 253248. Singleton et al (2005) The impact and effectiveness of Mandatory Drugs Tests in prison, Findings 223 London: Home Office249. Prison Service, Annual Report and Accounts April 2006 – March 2007, 17 July 2007, p. 26250. Singleton et al (2005) The impact and effectiveness of Mandatory Drugs Tests in prison, London: Home Office251. HM Inspectorates of Prisons and Probation (2001) Through the Prison Gate: Thematic Review by HM Inspectorates of Prisons and Probation, London: StationeryOffice252. Home Office (2003) Differential substance misuse, treatment needs of women, ethnic minorities and young offenders in prison: prevalence of substancemisuse and treatment needs, Home Office Online Report 33/03253. HM Prison Service, Annual Report and Accounts April 2006 – March 2007, 17 July 2007, p. 23254. Social Exclusion Unit (2002) Reducing re-offending by ex-prisoners, London: Social Exclusion Unit255. National Audit Office (2002) Reducing re-offending, London: National Audit Office256. Social Exclusion Unit (2002) Reducing re-offending by ex-prisoners, London: Social Exclusion Unit257. Ibid.258. Government reply to the first report from the Home Affairs Committee on the Rehabilitation of Prisoners Session 2004-2005, HC193www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk 31

A Home Office study has found that therisk of death for men released from prison isforty times higher in the first week ofrelease than for the general population. Thisis ascribed largely to drug-related deaths. 342deaths were recorded among their samplegroup of men in the year after release whereasin a sample matched for age and gender in thegeneral population, only 46 deaths would beexpected. 259Offenders that receive residential drugtreatment are 45% less likely to re-offendafter release than comparable offendersreceiving prison sentences. 263According to HM Chief Inspector of Prisons,funding for the new integrated drugtreatment system, to provide interventionsand support for those coming off drugs isnearly 60% less than was hoped for. 260 £77.3million was provided for custodial drugtreatment during 2006-07 261 up from £60.3million in 2005/06. 262259. Drug-related mortality among newly released offenders 1998 to 2000, Home Office online report 40/05260. HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales, Annual Report, 2005/2006, 30 January 2007, p.6.261. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 21 June 2007262. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 15 March 2007263. Matrix Knowledge Group, The Economic Case For and Against Prison, November 200732www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk

Alcohol 264In almost half of violent crimes (48%) thevictim believed the offender or offenders to beunder the influence of alcohol. 265Nearly two-thirds of sentenced male prisoners(63%) and two-fifths of female sentencedprisoners (39%) admit to hazardous drinkingwhich carries the risk of physical or mentalharm. Of these, about half have a severe alcoholdependency.34% of prisoners in Scotland have indicatedthat their drinking was a problem outside, and35% that they had to have a drink first thing inthe morning. 44% reported that they were drunkat the time of their offence. 20% indicated thatthey received help/treatment for their alcoholproblems whilst in prison. 26644% of young adults (18-24) are binge drinkers.27% of binge drinkers admitted committing anoffence in the past 12 months – compared with13% of drinkers who did not binge. 267Children who have begun binge drinking by theage of 16 are 90% more likely to have criminalconvictions by the age of 30. 268It is common for prisoners who have alcoholproblems to also have drug problems. Just overa quarter of male prisoners and about a fifth offemale prisoners who are hazardous drinkers aredependent on at least one type of illicit drug.In 2002/2003 an estimated 6,400 prisonersundertook alcohol detoxificationprogrammes, and an estimated 7,000 moreprisoners undertook detoxification forcombined alcohol and drug misuse.There are no specific accredited alcoholtreatment programmes with ring-fencedfunding in prisons in England and Wales.A Prison Service survey conducted in 2003,that received responses from half of allprisons in England and Wales, identified onlyone prison that had a dedicated alcoholstrategy.In December 2004 the Prison Servicepublished its long awaited alcohol strategyfor prisoners, which focuses primarily onimproving consistency of measures to preventfuture hazardous drinking across the prisonestate and builds on existing good practice.But it has not been supported by additionalresources.Misuse of alcohol and irresponsible drinkingresult in economic and social costs in theregion of £18 – 20 billion per year. 269264. Unless marked otherwise, all the figures in this section are from Prison Reform Trust briefing paper (January 2004) Alcohol and re-offending: who cares?265. Home Office Statistical Bulletin, 02/06, January 2006: Violent Crime Overview, Homicide and Gun Crime 2004/5, 2nd edition266. Scottish Prison Service, 9th Prisoner Survey 2006267. Home Office, Findings from the 2003 offending, crime and justice survey: alcohol-related crime and disorder- 261268. Viner, Russell M. and Taylor, Brent, Adult outcomes of binge drinking in adolescence: findings from a UK national birth cohort, Journal of Epidemiology andCommunity Health, 2007; 61: pp. 902-907269. Home Office Departmental Report 2007, May 2007www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk 33

Disability, health and wellbeingHigh numbers of UK prisoners fall within thegroup defined by the DisabilityDiscrimination Act (2005) which now appliesto prison.20 - 30% of men and women in prison havelearning disabilities or difficulties thatinterfere with their ability to cope within thecriminal justice system. 270Studies suggest that 7% of prisoners havevery low IQs, of less that 70. 27180% of prison staff say that informationaccompanying people into prison is unlikelyto show the presence of learning disabilitiesor difficulties that had been identified priorto arrival. Once in prison there is no routine orsystematic procedure for identifying prisonerswith learning disabilities or difficulties. 272Most prisoner staff (66%) believe that theoverall quality of support for prisoners withlearning disabilities and difficulties is low. 273"Once in prison people with learningdisabilities face a number of difficulties.Theirexclusion from elements of the regimebecause of their impairments, including fromoffending behaviour programmes is aparticular concern. Not only are they deniedhelp to address their offending behaviour,they may also experience delays in paroledates due to their inability to complete theirsentence plan." 274The average daily food cost per person inpublic prisons was £1.93 in 2005-2006. 276The average time out of cell on a weekday foreach prisoner is 10 hours exactly in2005/2006, a fall from 11.2 in 1996-7. 277In Northern Ireland, each sentenced prisonerspends on average 20.9 hours per week onconstructive activity. 278A survey conducted by the National AIDS Trustand the Prison Reform Trust among prisonhealthcare managers across the UK, foundthat a third of prisons surveyed had no HIVpolicy, one in five had no hepatitis C policyand well over half had no sexual health policy.This is despite the fact that the most recentsurvey of prevalence in prison found HIV was 15times higher than in the community. 279Investment in prison health care has increasedfrom £118 million in 2002-03 to £200 millionin 2006-07. 280HM Prisons Inspectorate notes with concernthat health services in private prisons areseparately commissioned, without thesupporting framework of accountability in thepublic sector. 281Across the prison estate only 40% ofprisoners participate in exercise. 275270. Loucks, N. (2007) The prevalence and associated needs of offenders with learning difficulties and learning disabilities. London: Prison Reform Trust271. Mottram, P. G. (2007) HMP Liverpool, Styal and Hindley Study Report. Liverpool: University of Liverpool272. Talbot J. (2007) Identifying and supporting prisoners with learning difficulties and disabilities: the views of prison officers. London: Prison Reform Trust.273. Ibid.274. Talbot, Jenny, Submission to the Joint Committee on Human Rights, The Human Rights of Adults with Learning Disabilities, 6 June 2007275. House of Commons, Committee of Public Accounts, Serving time: prisoner diet and exercise, 56th Report of Session 2005-06276. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 28 March 2007277. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 9 January 2007278. Northern Ireland Prison Service Annual Report and Accounts 2006-07, 11 July 2007279. HIV and Hepatitis in UK Prisons: Addressing Prisoners' Healthcare Needs, Prison Reform Trust and National AIDS Trust, 2005280. Hansard, House of Commons, written answers, 19 June 2007281. HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales, Annual Report 2005/2006, 30 January 2007, p. 3434www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk

Homelessness and unemploymentSurveys indicate 30% of people released fromprison will have nowhere to live. 282 This isdespite the fact that stable accommodation canreduce re-offending by over 20%. 283 The HomeOffice claims that recent progress on supportingprisoners to find accommodation has led tosignificant improvements and that 90.1% of thetotal number of prisoners released in the yearending March 2006 reported havingaccommodation arranged. 284In the year 2006-7, 65,733 prisoners had an‘accommodation outcome’ on release. 28514% of men, 20% of women and 10 % ofyoung offenders were not in permanentaccommodation before custody. 286Home Office research into the resettlementof short term prisoners found that more thanhalf (51%) had housing problems prior toimprisonment. 287 Around one in every 20prisoners was sleeping rough before they weresent to custody. 288Most prisoners depend on housing benefit tohelp with their rent before they entercustody. However, entitlement to HousingBenefit stops for all sentenced prisonersexpected to be in prison for more than 13weeks.This means that many prisoners have verylittle chance of keeping their tenancy open untilthe end of their sentence and lose their housing.The Home Office has found that womenprisoners are particularly likely not to haveaccommodation arranged for their release.Just 62% of women had accommodationarranged, compared with 90% of young maleoffenders and 69% of adult men. 289 Housingadvisors have been recruited for all women’slocal prisons. 290The Revolving Doors Agency has found that49% of prisoners with mental healthproblems had no fixed address on leavingprison. Of those who had a secure tenancybefore going to prison, 40% lost it on release. 291The Big Issue conducted the largest surveyof its vendors in 2001. More than one-thirdof Big Issue vendors are ex-prisoners. Only13 % received any form of resettlement advicebefore their release from prison.A Home Office study found recently thatonly one in five prisoners who need helpwith accommodation get support or advice.It also found that two-thirds of prisoners withno accommodation arranged on release hadnot received any housing support.The samestudy found that only half of those who hadreceived some form of help had an address togo to on release.The study concluded that‘many prisoners would like help looking foraccommodation but do not receive it’. 292Research by the House of Commons HomeAffairs Committee found that only 19% ofprisoners received advice or guidance aboutaccommodation. 293Getting ex-prisoners into stable housing canact as a gateway to effective resettlement.Home Office research has found that prisonerswho have accommodation arranged on releaseare four times more likely to have employment,education or training arranged than those who282. Niven, S. and Stewart, D. (2005) Resettlement outcomes on release from prison, Home Office Findings 248, London: Home Office283. Social Exclusion Unit (2002) Reducing re-offending by ex-prisoners, London: Social Exclusion Unit284. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 9 January 2007285. HMPS Annual Report and Accounts, April 2006 – March 2007, 17 July 2007, p. 23286. Niven, S. and Stewart, D. (2005) Resettlement outcomes on release from prison, Home Office Findings 248, London: Home Office287. Home Office (2003) The resettlement of short term prisoners: an evaluation of seven pathfinder programmes, Findings 200, London: Home Office288. Niven, S. and Stewart, D. (2005) Resettlement outcomes on release from prison, Home Office Findings 248, London: Home Office289. Ibid.290. Hansard, House of Lords, 28 October 2004291. Revolving Doors Agency (2002) Where Do They Go? Housing, Mental Health and Leaving Prison, London: Revolving Doors292. Niven, S. and Stewart, D. (2005) Resettlement outcomes on release from prison, Home Office Findings 248, London: Home Office293. House of Commons, Home Affairs Committee, Rehabilitation of Prisoners, First Report of Session 2004-2005, Volume 1 and 2www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk 35

do not have accommodation in place. 294Homelessness can also prevent ex-prisonersfrom accessing support services such as benefitsor registering with a GP. 295The Prison Service states that in about 50prisons some form of housing advice andsupport service is available. 296Two-thirds of prisoners are unemployed atthe time of imprisonment - around 13 timesthe national unemployment rate. A recentHome Office study found that 14% of prisonerssaid they had never had a paid job beforecustody. 297Around two-thirds of those who do have ajob lose it whilst in custody. 298A survey by the Chartered Institute ofPersonnel and Development showed thatpeople with a criminal record are part of the‘core jobless group’ that more than 60% ofemployers deliberately exclude whenrecruiting. 299Research by the House of Commons HomeAffairs committee found that two-thirds ofprisoners have no job on release. 300In the year 2006-7, 36,501 prisoners had ajob, training or education outcome onrelease. 301 Data is not collected to establishwhether or not these prisoners accessed theplaces that they said had been arranged for themor for how long they held them.The same study found that of those who hadan employment, training or education placeto go to on release only 15% had arrangedthis through the Prison Service or avoluntary agency working in the prison. Morethan half said it had been arranged throughfamily, friends or personal contacts.The studyhighlighted the value of personal contacts andsupport networks in helping prisoners findemployment or training. 303Prisoners face great difficulties findingemployment after release. A criminal recordand the failure to amend The Rehabilitation ofOffenders Act (1974), low educationalattainment, health problems and a lack of stablehousing makes it problematic for prisoners tofind a job.‘Breaking the Circle’, published in 2002, isthe Home Office’s consultation onimportant amendments to theRehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974). Todate these proposals have not been carriedforward in legislation.A Home Office study which followed upprisoners between two and 12 months afterrelease found that only half had done somepaid work; 2% were on a governmenttraining scheme; and 48% had not found anywork. Of those who had done some paid work,nearly two-thirds found it after leaving prison.Only 9% arranged a job whilst in custody. 304A Home Office survey carried out in 2003found that only a third of people releasedfrom prison had a job or a training oreducation place arranged. 302294. Niven, S. and Stewart, D. (2005) Resettlement outcomes on release from prison, Home Office Findings 248, London: Home Office; Home Office (2001) Jobsand Homes - a survey of prisoners nearing release, Findings 173, London: Home Office295. Social Exclusion Unit (2002) Reducing re-offending by ex-prisoners, London: Social Exclusion Unit296. House of Commons Home Affairs Committee, Rehabilitation of Prisoners, First Report of Session 2004-2005, Volume 1 and 2297. Niven, S. and Stewart, D. (2005) Resettlement outcomes on release from prison, Home Office Findings 248298. Home Office (2001) Through the Prison Gate: a joint thematic review by HM Inspectorates of Prisons and Probation, London: Stationery Office299. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Labour Market Outlook, Summer 2005300. House of Commons Home Affairs Committee, Rehabilitation of Prisoners, First Report of Session 2004-2005, Volume 1 and 2301. HMPS Annual Report and Accounts, April 2006 – March 2007, 17 July 2007, p. 23302. Niven, S. and Stewart, D. (2005) Resettlement outcomes on release from prison, Home Office Findings 248303. Ibid.304. Stewart, D. An evaluation of basic skills training for prisoners, Home Office Findings 260, London: Home Office (2005)36www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk

Education48% of prisoners are at or below the levelexpected of an 11 year old in reading, 65% innumeracy and 82% in writing. 305More than half of male and more than twothirdsof female adult prisoners have noqualifications at all. 306Half of all prisoners do not have the skillsrequired by 96% of jobs and only one in fiveare able to complete a job applicationform. 307Nearly half of male sentenced prisoners wereexcluded from school. 308In 2002-2003 an average of £1,185 perprisoner was spent on education in jails. Thisis less than half the average cost of secondaryschool education at £2,590 per student per year,which many prisoners have missed. 309Government funding for prison education morethan doubled in five years from £7.5m in 1999-2000 to £122m in 2004-2005. 310According to the Offenders Learning and SkillsUnit in the former Department for Educationand Skills (now DCSF), just under a third ofthe prison population is attending educationclasses at any one time. 311Research by NATFHE and the Association ofCollege Lecturers has found that only onethird of education managers regularly receiveprisoners’ records following transfers. 312Prison Service targets for the number ofprisoners achieving different skillsqualifications were significantly exceeded in2005-2006. Prisoners achieved 146,053 keywork skills awards, and 42,520 basic skillsawards. 313 However, Home Office researchfound that improvements in literacy andnumeracy were not significantly related toprisoners’ chances of finding employment orpreventing re-offending after release. Factorssuch as links with previous employers and familycontacts were more strongly related toemployment outcomes. 314Research highlighted by the government’sSocial Exclusion Unit has found thatprisoners who do not take part in educationor training are three times more likely to bereconvicted. This research has yet to be testedempirically by the Home Office and the Houseof Commons Education and Skills Committeeconcluded that ‘more research is needed toisolate the impact of education and training’. 315The Social Exclusion Unit also found thatthat basic skills learning can contribute to areduction in re-offending of around 12%. 316However, the House of Commons Educationand Skills Committee has expressed concernthat ‘the heavy concentration on basic skillsqualifications is based on little more than ahunch’ and urged the government to undertakemore research. 317305. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 9 January 2007306. Home Office (2001) Through the Prison Gate: a joint thematic review by HM Inspectorates of Prisons and Probation, London: Stationery Office307. Social Exclusion Unit (2002) Reducing re-offending by ex-prisoners, London: Social Exclusion Unit308. Singleton et al (2000) Psychiatric Morbidity among young offenders in England and Wales, London: Office for National Statistics309. Braggins, J. and Talbot, J. (2003) Time to Learn: Prisoners’ Views on Prison Education, London: Prison Reform Trust310. House of Commons Education and Skills Committee, Prison Education, Seventh Report of Session 2004-2005311. Ibid.312. Braggins, J. (2002), Shared Responsibilities: Education for prisoners at a time of change, London: NATFHE313. Prison Service Annual Report and Accounts 2005/2006, London: Stationery Office314. Stewart, D. An evaluation of basic skills training for prisoners, Home Office Findings 260, London: Home Office315. House of Commons Education and Skills Committee, Prison Education, Seventh Report of Session 2004-2005316. Social Exclusion Unit (2002) Reducing re-offending by ex-prisoners, London: Social Exclusion Unit317. House of Commons Education and Skills Committee, Prison Education, Seventh Report of Session 2004-2005www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk 37

Prison work and volunteeringOverall there are around 24,000 work placesfor prisoners across the estate in workshops,catering, cleaning, land based activities andday release programmes - the majority is lowgrade menial work. 318 This means that amaximum of just under a third of the prisonpopulation is engaged in work activities at anyone time.An average of 10,000 prisoners are employedin nearly 300 workshops across the prisonestate in a diverse range of industries thatinclude; clothing and textiles, woodwork,engineering, print and laundries. 31940% of the 10,000 prisoners who work acrossthese industries work for ‘contract services’and are producing goods and services for anexternal, commercial market. This can rangefrom laundry contracts for hospitals tomanufacturing camouflage jackets for theMinistry of Defence. 320Clothing and textiles is the biggest employerin prison workshops with roughly 3,000prisoners involved across 60 prisons. Almost all(95%) of textile products are for the internalmarket. 321An internal Prison Service review ofworkshops suggested that the focus should bealmost totally on the internal market asdemand for goods was so high due to the risein prison numbers over the last decade. 322There are around 1,500 people in the openprison estate who go out to work in full timepaid employment during the day on dayrelease. 323 They are, generally, long term prisonerswho are in the final stages of their period incustody and preparing to return to the community.The average rate of pay for employedprisoners is £8 per week. The Prison Service setsa minimum rate of pay which is currently £4.00 perweek but each prison has devolved responsibilityto enable it to set its own pay rates. 324The Prison Service has acknowledged thatprison industries have ‘rather got left behind byother developments within the system’ and thatproviding work opportunities for prisoners isnot currently a central and essential part ofthe prison regime.’ 3251,955 Samaritan Listeners were selected andtrained during 2006. Listeners, prisonerssupported by local Samaritan groups, play aninvaluable role in making prisons safer by offeringemotional support to fellow prisoners in crisis. 326There were 103,927 Listeners contacts during2006, an average of 67 contacts per Listenerper year. 327Surveys by the Prison Reform Trust have shownthat there is considerable scope to developmore opportunities for people in prison to takeresponsibility and engage in volunteering, peersupport, representation and prisonercouncils. 328318. House of Commons Home Affairs Committee, Rehabilitation of Prisoners, First Report of Session 2004-2005319. ‘Service on the verge of industrial revolution’ Prison Service News, September, 2003320. Ibid.321. Ibid.322. Prison Service (2003) Report of the Industries Review Team, An internal review of the strategic oversight and management of public sector prison industriesin England and Wales, London: Prison Service323. House of Commons Home Affairs Committee, Rehabilitation of Prisoners, First Report of Session 2004-2005324. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 23 March 2007.325. House of Commons, Home Affairs Committee, Rehabilitation of Prisoners, First Report of Session 2004-2005326. NOMS, Safer Custody News, July/August 2007327. Ibid.328. Edgar, K. and Talbot, J. (2006) The Impact of volunteering: a review of the CSV national day release prisoner volunteer pilot project, London: Prison ReformTrust, Farrant, F. and Levenson, J. (2002) Barred Citizens, Volunteering and Active Citizenship by Prisoners, London: Prison Reform Trust, Solomon, E. and Edgar,K. (2004) Having Their Say: The work of prisoner councils, London: Prison Reform Trust38www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk

Recalls to prison 329In the five years to 2005 there has been a350% increase in the number of offendersrecalled to prison for apparent breach oftheir conditions. This is despite the fact thatthe number of ex-prisoners on licence in thecommunity has increased by less than 15%.Rates of recall for those technically eligible haverisen from 53% in 2000, to 86% in 2004. 330Recalled prisoners now make up nearly 11%of the population of local prisons. 331The average daily population of prisoners inScotland recalled from supervision or licencehas risen substantially, increasing by 30% to519 in 2006/07, from 400 in 2005/06. 332In 2005, 54,616 people were released onHome Detention Curfew. The proportionrecalled for breach of their HDC conditionswent down by 5%. 336 On 30 November 2007,2,369 people were on HDC. 337Under the provisions of the Criminal JusticeAct 2003, the time served under licence willincrease hugely.Those serving long sentenceswill be under supervision for the wholesentence, instead of until the three-quarterspoint and the new public protectionsentences will include long periods of licence.In 2006-07, 11,231 offenders were recalledcompared to 8,678 in the previous year. 333During the last year the prison recallpopulation has increased by 28% to 5,000 asat 30 March 2007 due to an increase in thenumber of offenders being recalled and thefact that prisoners are sentenced todeterminate sentences under the provisionsof the Criminal Justice Act 2003 are liable tospend longer in custody if recalled. 334Between April and June 2005, 2,100 peoplewere recalled on a breach of their licence.Of these the largest proportion, 30%, were ‘outof touch’, 18% were breached for problems withtheir behaviour, 8% for breaking their residencyconditions and 18% for ‘other reasons’. Only aquarter were recalled to face a further charge. 335329. Unless otherwise stated, all facts in this section are drawn from the Prison Reform Trust’s briefing paper, Recycling Offenders through Prison, May 2005330. HMCIP, Recalled prisoners, December 2005331. Ibid.332. Scottish Executive, Statistical Bulletin, Criminal Justice Series, Prison Statistics Scotland 2006/07.333. HMPS Annual Report and Accounts, April 2006 – March 2007, 17 July 2007, p. 25334. Ibid.335. NOMS Recall newsletter edition 7, annex A336. Home Office, Offender Management Caseload Statistics, 2005337. NOMS, Prison Population and Accommodation Briefing for 30 November 2007www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk 39

Prison Service performance and staffingThe total full-time equivalent staff ofofficer grade employed throughout theprison estate was 24,272 in 2000 and26,474 at the beginning of 2006. That is anincrease of 9%, while over the same period, theprison population has increased by 24%. 338In 2006-2007, the Prison Service met 9 ofthe 12 annual delivery targets. 339It just failed to meet its overcrowdingtarget, having 24.1% of the prisonpopulation held in “accommodation unitsintended for fewer prisoners”, the targetwas under 24%. 340 In 2003-4 a lower targetwas set of 18% of all prisoners held two for acell designed for one. In that year the PrisonService failed to meet the target, insteadputting 21.7% in such accommodation. 341Targets on serious assaults, ethnic diversityamong the staff were not met. Someprogress towards them had been made in allareas.There has been a high turnover of prisongovernors. In the five years to March 2002 justunder a third of all prisons (44) had had fouror more governors or acting governors incharge. 344 The average tenure for governinggovernors in an establishment is one year and ninemonths. 345The under-representation of staff fromminority ethnic groups is particularly markedat a senior level in the Prison Service. Just 2.7%of senior operational managers are from aminority ethnic group. 346The number of minority ethnic staff in thePrison Service overall is now 5.7%. It has grownsteadily for many years. 34761% of black and minority ethnic prison staffhave experienced direct racial discriminationwhile employed in the service. Over half chosenot to report it. 348In 2006 there were 11,520 recordedprisoner on prisoner assaults and 3,123recorded prisoner on officer assaults. 342The Prison Service is faced with highsickness levels amongst prison officers. Theaverage number of working days lost due tostaff sickness in 2006-07 was 11.6. 343338. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 20 March 2007., and Home Office, Offender Management Caseload Statistics, 2005, and NOMS, PrisonPopulation and Accommodation Briefing for 30 March 2007339. HMPS Annual Report and Accounts, April 2006 – March 2007, 17 July 2007, p. 10340. Ibid., p. 26341. Prison Service Annual Report and Accounts 2003/2004, London: Stationery Office342. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 30 October 2007343. HMPS Annual Report and Accounts, April 2006 – March 2007, 17 July 2007, p. 96344. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 31 January, 2003345. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 19 January, 2004346. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 23 March 2007347. Prison Service Annual Report and Accounts 2005/2006, London: Stationery Office348. Prison Reform Trust 2006. Briefing: Experiences of Minority Ethnic Employees in Prisons40www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk

Private prisons 349There are eleven privately run prisons inEngland and Wales. Nine prisons have beenfinanced, designed, built and are run by theprivate sector under PFI contracts - Dovegate,Altcourse,Ashfield, Forest Bank, LowdhamGrange, Parc, Rye Hill, Bronzefield andPeterborough, the only prison which holds bothmen and women on the same site. In additionWolds and Doncaster were built and financedby the public sector but are run by privatecompanies under management - only contracts.Two former privately managed prisons,Blakenhurst and Buckley Hall, are now publiclyrun.Two new 600 cell PFI category B prisons atBelmarsh, south east London and Maghull,Merseyside, should be open by 2010. Thecurrent programme of competitions is expectedto include up to five new PFI prisons.Private prisons in England and Wales nowaccount for 10% of the prison populationholding around 7,695 prisoners. 350England and Wales has the most privatisedprison system in Europe and in August 2006the government announced that some 4,000new prison places are expected to beprovided by the private sector. Scotlandcurrently has 10% of its prisoners held privately,although this is due to increase with theaddition of the 700-cell Addiewell, a secondprivately financed, designed, built and run prison.Australia has 17% of its prisoners held inprivate prisons and the US has 7.2%.Serco is the largest provider of privateprisons, operating Dovegate, Ashfield,Lowdham Grange and Doncaster. GSL,operates Rye Hill,Altcourse and the Wolds.Kalyx, owned by the Paris-based multi-nationalSodexho Alliance SA, operates Forest Bank,Bronzefield and Peterborough. G4S operatesParc prison.According to a parliamentary writtenanswer, 351 the costs of private prisons perplace are higher than public sector prisonsin most categories:FunctionContractedsector cost perplacePublic sectorcost per placeMale category B 26,813 25,881Male category C 20,855 21,976Female closed 44,400 34,617Male juvenile 48,669 42,143Male local 33,805 31,912In 2006, basic pay for private sector custodyofficers was 39% less than their publicsector equivalents. Taking a valuation ofbenefits such as pensions and holidays intoaccount, the public sector advantage rose to61%. 352349. For more information on the performance of private prisons, the companies and their profits see Prison Reform Trust (2005) Private Punishment: WhoProfits?, London: Prison Reform Trust350. NOMS, Monthly Bulletin, August 2007351. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 9 January 2007352. Prison Service Pay Review Body, Privately Managed Custodial Service, September 2006www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk 41

An average of 40% of private sector staffhave over five years’ service. 353Private prison percentage staff turnover 3542006 2005 2004 2003 2002Altcourse 5 11 9 10 (1)Ashfield 19.51 29.41 (1) 34.60 (1)Bronzefield 17.17 30.55 27.25 (2) (2)Doncaster 14.63 17.97 19.76 9.07 (1)Dovegate 21.69 22.35 41.50 43.90 (1)Forest Bank 19.79 25.50 25.52 25.30 22.74Lowdham Grange 30.19 24.70 29.08 30.94 (1)Parc 12.94 19.47 16.17 27.12 23.14Peterborough 29.16 18.81 (3) (3) (3)Rye Hill 15 39 27 36 (1)Wolds 10 11 11 8 (1)Notes: staff turnover expressed as a percentage of the total staff foreach year since 2002(1) Unavailable (2) Opened June 2005 (3) Opened March 2005The Chief Inspector of Prisons expressedconcerns in her last annual report: “… it isof some concern that the four private adultprisons reported on had more negative thanpositive assessments, and only one out of fourwas assessed as performing satisfactorily onsafety.This has been a recurring concern, in ourinspection reports and in the National AuditOffice’s report, as has the nature of activityavailable, with contracts that tend to focus onquantity rather than quality.” 357According to the prison service performancerating system the ratings for privatelymanaged prisons in England and Wales wereas set out below: 358Private prisons - ratings 06-07Establishment Qtr 1 Qtr 2 Qtr 3 Qtr 4Bronzefield 3 3 3 3In 2006 resignations of prison custodyPeterborough 2 2 2 2officers and detention custody officers in the Lowdham Grange 3 3 3 naprivate sector averaged 24%, with very large Rye Hill 2 2 2 navariations between establishments. 355Altcourse 4 4 4 4Forest Bank 3 3 3 3According to the NAO, staffing problemsParc 3 3 3 3mean private prisons struggle to create a safeDovegate 2 2 2 2environment for prisoners. It noted high levelsof assaults at Dovegate,Ashfield, Rye Hill, Forest Doncaster 3 3 3 3Bank and Altcourse. It said that prisoners inWolds 3 3 3 3these jails expressed concerns about their safetydue to the relative inexperience of staff.Ashfield 3 3 3 na353. Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 1 March 2007354. Ibid.355. Prison Service Pay Review Body, Sixth Report on England and Wales, March 2007356. National Audit Office (2003) The Operational Performance of PFI Prisons, London: Stationery Office357. Annual Report 2005/06, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales358. Quarters 1-3 www.noms.justice.gov.uk and Quarter 4 from individual ROM’s websites. Details for Lowdham Grange, Rye Hill and Ashfield had not beenposted at the time of writing. Note: Level 4 = exceptionally high performing, consistently meeting or exceeding targets; no significant operating problems.Level 3 = meeting the majority of targets, experiencing no significant problems. Level 2 = basically stable, secure and providing decent but limited regimes;Level 1 = experiencing significant problems in meeting targets and/or experiencing major operational problems.42www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk

Long term trends and future prison buildingBy the end of June 2014 the demand forprison spaces is projected to increase tobetween 88,800 and 101,900. Much of theunderlying growth in all scenarios can beattributed to the use of IPP sentences. 359In a statement on prison population madeon 19 June 2007, Lord Falconer announced:“We have built over 20,000 more prisonplaces since 1997, with a commitment to8,000 more by 2012.To help accommodatethe current pressures, I can announce todaythat Her Majesty's Treasury has madeavailable new money to build an additional1,500 places over and above the 8,000already announced.We will be starting workimmediately on 500 of those extra places.The first of these additional places willcome on-stream in January 2008.” 360On 31 August 2007 the Ministry of Justiceannounced that planning permission hasbeen granted for the site owned by NOMSat Maghull near Merseyside, which itexpects to deliver 600 new places by 2010. Aplanning application will be submitted in respectof a third site owned by NOMS adjacent toHMP Belmarsh. 361The Scottish prison population is predictedto rise to 9,300 by 2015. 362During comments made to BBC Scotland,Kenny MacAskill said “prisons are forpublic safety, not for profit … we aredrawing a line in the sand.” 364The prison population is expected to risein Northern Ireland by 6%, year on yearfor the next five years, and by 5% in thefollowing years, with the population oflife sentenced prisoners up by 50% within10 years. 365In an interview with The Times, Jack Strawstated that “the government will not beable to build its way out of the prisoncrisis” and indicated that “the only waythe pressure could be relieved was bysending fewer people to jail and usingmore noncustodial sentences.” In theinterview, his first since becoming JusticeSecretary and Lord Chancellor, Mr Strawcalled for a “national conversation” about theuse of prison. He also spoke of the need tomake community sentences more effective tobuild confidence and trust in non-custodialsentences. Even if he could click his fingers“and magic an extra 10,000 places” theywould still need to have the same debateabout the use of prison, he said. 366On 24 August 2007 the Cabinet Secretaryfor Justice, Kenny MacAskill announcedthat a new publicly operated prison is tobe built in the Peterhead area to replaceexisting facilities there and at HMPAberdeen. 363359. Ministry of Justice Statistical Bulletin, Prison Population Projections, England and Wales, 2007-2014 (August 2007)360. Hansard, House of Lords debates, 19 June 2007361. Ministry of Justice, Prison Capacity Building Programme update, http://www.justice.gov.uk/news/newsrelease310807a.htm362. BBC News online, 25 November 2005363. www.sps.gov.uk364. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6959920.stm365. Interview with Robin Masefield, Director General of the Northern Ireland Prison Service, 12 February 2006 – Belfast Telegraph366. Rt Hon Jack Straw, The Times, 12 July 2007www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk 43

Recent Prison Reform Trust publications and briefings• Prison Overcrowding: the Inside Story, 2002 - £7.50• Restricted Access: Legal Information for Remand Prisoners, 2002 - £5.00• Criminal Treatment: the Imprisonment of Asylum Seekers, 2002- £5.00• Barred Citizens:Volunteering and Active Citizenship by Prisoners, 2002 - £10.00• Troubled Inside: Responding to the Mental Health Needs of Women in Prison, 2003 - £9.00• The Decision to Imprison: Sentencing and the Prison Population, 2003 - £10.00• Growing Old in Prison - a Scoping Study on Older Prisoners, 2003 - £9.00• Time to Learn - Prisoners’ Views on Prison Education, 2003 - £10.00• Prisoners’ Information Book, Male Prisoners and Young Offenders, 2006• Prisoners’ Information Book,Women Prisoners and Female Young Offenders, 2003• Prisoners’ Information Book,Visits and Keeping in Touch, 2006• Alcohol and Re-offending - Who Cares? 2004 (Briefing Paper)• Having Their Say - The Work of Prisoner Councils, 2004 - £8.50• Forgotten Prisoners - the Plight of Foreign National Prisoners in England and Wales, 2004 (Briefing Paper)• Lacking Conviction: the Rise of the Women’s Remand Population, 2004 - £9.50• A Lost Generation: the Experiences of Young People in Prison, 2004 - £7.50• Going The Distance - Developing Effective Policy and Practice with Foreign National Prisoners, 2004 - £7.50• Young Parents - From Custody to Community, guide and resource pack 2004 - £25• Private Punishment - Who Profits? 2005 (Briefing Paper)• Keeping in Touch - the Case for Family Support Work in Prison - £7.50• Barred from Voting: the Right to Vote for Sentenced Prisoners, 2005 (Briefing Paper)• Troubled Inside: Responding to the Mental Health Needs of Men in Prison, 2005 - £12.00• HIV and hepatitis in UK Prisons:Addressing Prisoners’ Healthcare Needs, 2005 - £7.50• The Impact of Volunteering: a Review of the CSV national day release prisoner volunteering project, 2006• Experiences of Minority Ethnic Employees in Prison, 2006 (Briefing Paper)• Crime Victims Say Jail Doesn’t Work, 2006 (SmartJustice Victim Support survey - Briefing Paper)• No One Knows - identifying and supporting prisoners with learning difficulties and learning disabilities: theviews of prison staff, 2007 - £10• Indefinitely Maybe? The indeterminate sentence for public protection, 2007 (Briefing Paper)• Mitigation: the role of personal factors in sentencing, 2007 - £12• No One Knows - identifying and supporting prisoners with learning difficulties and learning disabilities: theviews of prison staff in Scotland, 2007 - £10• There when you need them most: pact’s first night in custody service, 2007 - £10• Public Say: Stop Locking Up So Many Women, 2007 (SmartJustice public opinion survey - Briefing Paper)For more information about the work of the Prison Reform Trust e-mail: prt@prisonreformtrust.org.ukor call 020 7251 5070 or visit www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk, www.innocentuntilprovenguilty.comor www.smartjustice.orgPrison Reform Trust, 15 Northburgh Street, London EC1V 0JR.Registered in England, Charity No 1035525. Company Limited by Guarantee No 2906362