BROMLEY BRIEFINGS PRISON FACTFILE - Prison Reform Trust

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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
Page 1 and 2: BROMLEY BRIEFINGSPRISON FACTFILEDec
Page 3 and 4: IntroductionThe social and economic
Page 5: The number of women in prison has m
Page 9 and 10: Prison suicideThe suicide rate for
Page 11 and 12: Sentencing trendsThe number of peop
Page 13 and 14: In 2006-07, 30% of suicides in cust
Page 15 and 16: widely used drugs.The Oxford resear
Page 17 and 18: During their sentence 45% of people
Page 19 and 20: Young people in prison (18-20 year
Page 21 and 22: Children in PrisonIn October 2007 t
Page 23 and 24: Minority ethnic prisonersAt the end
Page 25 and 26: Elderly prisoners (aged 60 and over
Page 27 and 28: Mental health needs of prisoners 21
Page 29 and 30: Mental health issues amongst prison
Page 31 and 32: Drug use amongst prisoners in custo
Page 33 and 34: Alcohol 264In almost half of violen
Page 35 and 36: Homelessness and unemploymentSurvey
Page 37 and 38: Education48% of prisoners are at or
Page 39 and 40: Recalls to prison 329In the five ye
Page 41 and 42: Private prisons 349There are eleven
Page 43 and 44: Long term trends and future prison

BROMLEY BRIEFINGS PRISON FACTFILE - Prison Reform Trust

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