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Women's Prisons: Per Capita Costs

Answer

The local establishments' average direct cost per place in women's prisons for the last three years is shown in the following table.

All female establishments
	Direct cost per place (£)
2006-07	36,009
2007-08	39,189
2008-09	37,701

In 2007-08 Cookham Wood was re-rolled from female to male which partly explains the higher cost in 2007-08 relative to the other two years.The direct cost per place for 2008-09 is shown net of income from the Department of Health and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, whereas for earlier years it is gross. This partly explains the reduction in cost in 2008-09.Traditionally the HMPS annual accounts have published the cost per place using only costs met by establishments. For 2007-08 and 2008-09 a more comprehensive cost has been calculated which includes prison related costs met centrally by HMPS and NOMS, and these are shown in the following table.

All female establishments
	Total overall cost per place (£)
2007-08	53,333
2008/09	51,707

Year on year comparisons can be difficult to make, for example because of changes in accounting treatment or of prison categories.The costs relate to establishments whose predominant category of prisoner is female. Income from the Youth Justice Board (YJB) in respect of services recharged to the YJB is excluded.The overall average costs comprise the public sector establishments' direct resource expenditure, increased by an apportionment of costs borne centrally by HMPS and the National Offender Management Service; and the resource expenditure of contracted-out prisons also increased by certain costs borne centrally. This involves some estimation. The figures do not include prisoners held in police and court cells under Operation Safeguard, nor expenditure met by other Government Departments (e.g. for health and education). The prisoner escort service is included.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

499 c503-4W; 295202

Session

2008-09

Subjects

Women Prisoners Per capita costs

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk