Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Lord Herbert of South Downs (Conservative) on Thursday, 6 March 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 17 March 2008. It was answered by Jack Straw (Labour) on Monday, 17 March 2008 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Open Prisons: Prisoner Escapes

Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners convicted of (a) murder, (b) rape and (c) other sexual offences have absconded from open prisons in England and Wales in the last three years; and how many of them remain at large.
Answer

Data are shown in the following tables for the number of prisoners convicted of (a) murder, (b) rape and (c) other sexual offences who have absconded in the last three years from open or semi-open prisons and how many remain at large at the end of February 2008.

Absconds from open prisons in England and Wales: January 2005 to December 2007
January to December
Offence 2005 2006 2007 Total
Murder 16 14 7 37
Rape 1 1 1 3
Other sexual offences 0 0 0 0
Total 17 15 8 40
Number of absconders in the aforementioned table still at large at the end of February 2008
January to December
Offence 2005 2006 2007 Total
Murder 1 1 1 3
Rape 0 0 0 0
Other sexual offences 0 0 0 0
Total 1 1 1 3

The number of overall absconds from open prisons in the last two years has been about half the level of 1996-97

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
193233; 473 c874-5W;473 c870-1W
Session
2007-08
Subjects
Prisoner escapes Open prisons
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk