Written question asked by Gordon Prentice (Labour) on Monday, 12 June 2000, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 26 June 2000. It was answered by Lord Boateng (Labour) on Monday, 26 June 2000 on behalf of the Home Office.

Home Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, How many prisoners there are per 100,000 of the population in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) France, (c) Germany and (d) the Netherlands; and if he will make a statement. (Failed OPQ). - Inc table.

Answer: Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners there are per 100,000 of the population in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) France, (c) Germany and (d) the Netherlands; and if he will make a statement. [126142] Mr. Boateng: The available information is given in the table. It should be noted, however, that comparisons between penal statistics from different countries may be misleading due to differences in criminal justice systems, the types of sanctions available to the judicial authorities and the length of prison sentences imposed by the courts and served by offenders. International prison population comparisons: rate per 100,000 population in 1999 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Country Rate{ 1} per 100,000 population in 1999 United Kingdom 123 England and Wales{2} 125 Scotland{3} 118 Northern Ireland 69 France 89 Germany{4} 95 Netherlands 75 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. {1} Based on estimates of national populations {2} At 31 August {3} Average daily population {4} 1998 figures

Secondary information