Written question asked by John McDonnell (Labour) on Tuesday, 30 March 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 6 April 2010. It was answered by Maria Eagle (Labour) on Tuesday, 6 April 2010 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Prisons: Organised Crime

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners were charged with a serious crime carried out while they were in prison in 2008-09.

Answer: While the number of serious offences, as defined by Schedule 1 to the Serious Crime Act 2007, are recorded, data as to whether the offender was imprisoned at the time of charge are not held. To provide the data would require an investigation into each such offence, which would be at disproportionate cost.The National Offender Management Service is also fully engaged in action to address serious and organised crime strategically, including the work identified in the Government report "Extending Our Reach: A Comprehensive Approach to Tackling Serious Organised Crime" to develop a strategy to manage serious organised criminals whilst in prison.

Secondary information