Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, what steps they are taking to resolve the situation that 608 prisoners under Imprisonment for Public Protection are at least 10 years over their original tariff.
Answered by Lord Bellamy
HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) has delivered a substantial reduction in the number of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) prisoners who have never been released, from over 6,000 when the sentence was abolished in 2012 to 1,492 at 30 June 2022. Prisoners serving indeterminate sentences who have completed their tariff will be released only when the independent Parole Board concludes that the risk they present to the public is capable of being safely managed in the community under probation supervision – and that applies to the cohort who have served at least ten years in custody after they completed their tariff.
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Act introduced an amendment which requires the Secretary of State automatically to refer every eligible IPP offender to the Parole Board for consideration of licence termination annually once they reach the 10 year eligibility point. This will enable the IPP licence, and the IPP sentence as a whole, to be brought to a definitive end for more offenders.
The Government is carefully considering the evidence and recommendations of the Justice Select Committee report. A full response to the report will be provided in due course, and the IPP Action Plan will be reviewed and refreshed to ensure it is focused on the critical aspects that will best support the progression of those subject to IPP sentences.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) operational prison staff at each of bands (a) 3, (b) 4, and (c) 5, are employed at Her Majesty's Prison Wandsworth, (2) operational staff on detached duty from other establishments, and (3) vacancies for such posts, there were for each of the last two years for which figures are available.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie - Shadow Minister (Justice)
The number of band 3-5 operational prison staff at HMP Wandsworth are provided in the table below:
Table 1: Number of full-time equivalent (FTE) bands 3 to 5 prison officers working at HMP Wandsworth, as at 30 September 2016 and as at 30 September 2017
Grade | FTE as at 30 September 2016 | FTE as at 30 September 2017 |
Band 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl. specialists) | 212 | 240 |
Band 4 / Supervising Officer | 31 | 29 |
Band 5 / Custodial Managers | 18 | 17 |
These figures for 30 September 2016 and 30 September 2017 can also be found in the in:
There were approximately 13 operational staff on detached duty in HMP Wandsworth as at 30 September 2016 and none as at 30 September 2017. This data is collated and held internally by the National Detached Duty team which oversees national Detached Duty arrangements.
Staff shortfalls (ie. vacancies) previously presented in NOMS/HMPPS workforce statistics have been based on the difference between staff benchmarks and staff in post figures. However, staff benchmarks previously in place are no longer in use and are being replaced by new target staffing levels under the new Offender Management in custody model. At present, the target staffing levels are not sufficiently developed and work is ongoing in order to further develop these. The last set of published benchmark levels and staff shortfalls, as at 31 March 2017, showed that there was a shortfall of 26 full time equivalent band 3-5 prison officers. This information can also be found in table 14 at the following link:
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prison staff at bands 3 to 5 were assigned to Her Majesty's Prison Wandsworth; and how many vacancies there were in each of the last two years for which figures are available.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie - Shadow Minister (Justice)
The number of band 3-5 prison staff at HMP Wandsworth as at 30 September 2016 and as at 30 September 2017 is provided in the table below:
Table 1: Number of full-time equivalent (FTE) bands 3 to 5 staff working at HMP Wandsworth, as at 30 September 2016 and as at 30 September 2017 | ||||
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Grade | FTE as at 30 September 2016 | FTE as at 30 September 2017 |
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Bands 3-5* | 355 | 383 |
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*Includes staff in operational and non-operational band 3 to 5 grades. These figures for 30 September 2016 and 30 September 2017 can also be found in the in: | ||||
Staff shortfalls (ie. vacancies) previously presented in NOMS/HMPPS workforce statistics have been based on the difference between staff benchmarks and staff in post figures. However, staff benchmarks previously in place are no longer in use and are being replaced by new target staffing levels under the new Offender Management in custody model. At present, the target staffing levels are not sufficiently developed and work is ongoing in order to further develop these.
The last set of published benchmark levels and staff shortfalls, as at 31 March 2017, showed that there was a shortfall of 38 full time equivalent band 3-5 prison staff at HMP Wandsworth. This information forms part of the table 14 at the following link:
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many incidents of self-harm by inmates at Her Majesty’s Prison Wandsworth were recorded in each of the last two years for which figures are available.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie - Shadow Minister (Justice)
In 2015, 91 incidents of self-harm were recorded at HMP Wandsworth. In 2016, the number was 118.
The Government takes very seriously its responsibility to keep prisoners safe. We have established a prison safety programme that includes a comprehensive set of actions, including: rolling out revised and improved training for staff in assessing and managing the risk of suicide and self-harm amongst prisoners; improving support for prisoners in their early days in custody; revising the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork case management process for those identified as being at risk; and funding the Samaritans to provide their valuable Listeners Scheme.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many serious assaults by inmates on one another at Her Majesty’s Prison Wandsworth were recorded in each of the last two years for which figures are available.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie - Shadow Minister (Justice)
In 2015, 9 serious prisoner-on-prisoner assaults were recorded at HMP Wandsworth. In 2016, the number was 22.
The level of violence in prisons is too high. We will improve prison safety and address the significant overall increase in the number of assaults, by providing additional staff and giving them the tools and training that will help to reduce violence.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of prisoners on custodial sentence at Her Majesty’s Prison Wandsworth were unlocked for at least six hours each weekday in the latest month for which figures are available
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie - Shadow Minister (Justice)
The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The Government is fully committed to making our prisons safe so that they can provide the maximum time out of cell for meaningful and purposeful activity to give prisoners the training, skills and work experience needed on release.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of prisoners on custodial sentence at Her Majesty’s Prison Wandsworth, other than segregated prisoners, spent at least 22 hours locked in their cell on any day in the latest month for which figures are available.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie - Shadow Minister (Justice)
The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The Government is fully committed to making our prisons safe so that they can provide the maximum time out of cell for meaningful and purposeful activity to give prisoners the training, skills and work experience needed on release.