BROMLEY BRIEFINGS PRISON FACTFILE - Prison Reform Trust

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