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Home Office

Answer

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of (a) registered young offenders, (b) registered offenders, (c) young offenders resident in youth offender institutions, (d) offenders resident in adult prisons, (e) persons convicted of drug-related offences and (f) persons convicted of violent crimes are known to have a history of being in care. [72929] Mr. Hilary Benn: No data are held centrally on the upbringing of persons in prisons in England and Wales. This means that it is not possible to provide specific answers to questions (a) to (f). However, according to the Criminality Survey 2000, 31 per cent. of the sentenced male prison population (excluding sex offenders) had been taken into local authority care as a child. In 1997, a survey was carried out by the Office for National Statistics, called "Psychiatric Morbidity Among Prisoners in England and Wales". A sample of around 1,200 male remand, 1,200 male sentenced and 800 female prisoners were interviewed. 33 per cent. of the males on remand and 26 per cent. of the males under sentence had been taken into local authority care as a child. 29 per cent. of the females on remand and 25 per cent. of the females under sentence had also been taken into local authority care as a child. According to the National Prison Survey 1991, when interviews were conducted with around 4,000 sentenced and remand prisoners (juveniles and immigration detainees were excluded): "26 per cent. said that they had at some point before the age of 16 been taken into local authority care. As many as 38 per cent. of prisoners under 21 reported that they had had such an experience".

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

389 c1465-7W;389 c1463-5W; 72929

Session

2001-02

Subjects

Children in care Abuse Drugs Prisoners Prisons Misuse Young people Young offenders Young offender institutions

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

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