Written question asked by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative) on Thursday, 18 December 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 26 January 2004. It was answered by Paul Goggins (Labour) on Monday, 26 January 2004 on behalf of the Home Office.

Home Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the early release scheme for detention and training orders issued since 2001.

Answer: Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the early release scheme for detention and training orders issued since 2001. [145648] Paul Goggins: The Youth Justice Board (YJB) commissioned an internal study from PA Consulting on the factors inhibiting or assisting the take up of early release. PA's report, in September 2003, found that establishments generally saw early release as a useful incentive to influence the behaviour of trainees serving terms of eight months or more. Where early release was not granted, the main reasons were decisions by review meetings that trainees were unsuitable; lack of appropriate accommodation for them to go to; and young people's refusal of early release. PA recommended monitoring the reasons for decisions not to agree early release; investigating ways of improving the availability of suitable accommodation; and developing a system to record centrally the outcomes of early release decisions. The YJB are pursuing these recommendations.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 145648; 417 c207W
Session: 2003-04
Subjects: Prisoners' release Young offenders Youth Justice Board Detention and training orders
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk