Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 25 September (HL10042), whether the Ministry of Justice or HM Prison and Probation Service keep a record of how many times a Prime Minister has visited one of His Majesty's prisons since 2010, and in which years.
Answered by Lord Bellamy
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the most recent figure for the average annual cost of holding a prisoner; and what is the current percentage of prisoner recidivism.
Answered by Lord Bellamy
The overall average annual costs for keeping an individual in a prison is £48,409, this figure is for 2020-21.
The latest annual reoffending rate for adults who received a custodial sentence was 41.9% (2019/20). The reoffending rates for adults released from custody has dropped from 50.4% in 2009/10.
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) financial, and (2) travel, support they provide to prisoners on release.
Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar - Shadow Attorney General
All eligible prison leavers are provided with a Subsistence Payment (formerly Discharge Grant) of £76. Recently uplifted in August of this year from £46, the subsistence payment will increase year on year in line with the Consumer Price Index until 2024/25. We also work closely with the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure prisoners have timely access to Universal Credit on their release from prison.
All prison leavers are given a travel warrant or fares paid to their destination within the UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or the Republic of Ireland. An additional payment of up to £50 may also be paid directly to a genuine accommodation provider to help the prison leaver secure a release address.
The Government is reviewing the Discharge policy (Prison Service Instruction 72/2011), to continue to make sure prison leavers receive adequate financial support in the first few days after release and before they might reasonably be able to access other legal sources of income such as applying for state benefits.
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest estimate of the weekly cost of keeping an individual in prison.
Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar - Shadow Attorney General
An average cost per prisoner, costs per prison place and overall prison unit costs for each private and public sector prison in England and Wales are routinely published by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). This information is produced on an annual basis and is published after the end of each financial year on the gov.uk website.
The overall average annual costs for keeping an individual in a prison is £42,670, which is taken from the latest published Prison Unit Cost statistics, for 2019-20. The average cost for a week would therefore be calculated as £818.
Ministry of Justice (MoJ) expect the 2020-21 Prison Unit Cost statistics to be published early in 2022.
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many former prisoners they employ in each government department.
Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar - Shadow Attorney General
We do not centrally hold data on the total number of prison leavers currently working within the Ministry of Justice and its Arms-Length Bodies. However, since April 2021 MoJ has run a specialised recruitment programme, Going Forward into Employment, whereby ex-prisoners can become employed by the MoJ. 21 former prisoners have become employed through this route to date.
The MoJ champions the ‘ban the box’ campaign in line with Government measures to support the rehabilitation of offenders and does not ask for details of criminal convictions at the initial stage of recruitment for roles advertised through fair and open competition. Following a provisional offer of employment, successful candidates are asked to declare criminal convictions as part of the pre-employment checking process which may identify candidates who have received a custodial sentence.
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar on 24 June (HL1005), what proportion of (1) prisoners, and (2) prison officers, have received their COVID-19 vaccinations.
Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar - Shadow Attorney General
Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service strongly encourages all staff and prisoners to have the Covid-19 vaccine. We ask employees to let us know when they have had each dose of the Covid-19 vaccine by recording their vaccine status on our HR system. As the disclosure of their vaccine status is entirely voluntary, it means the self-declaration rates presented below will be lower than the actual number of staff who have been vaccinated.
The total number of Band 3-5 Prison Officers in Public Sector and Youth Custody Prisons who have declared that they have received their first COVID-19 vaccination, as at midday 25 June 2021, was 6,417. This is equivalent to approximately 28.5% of staff within those roles.
The total number of Band 3-5 Prison Officers in Public Sector and Youth Custody Prisons who have declared that they have received their second COVID-19 vaccination, as at midday 25 June 2021, was 3,407. This is equivalent to approximately 15.2% of staff within those roles.
Now that all adults are eligible, HMPPS will be increasing efforts to encourage staff to record their vaccination status.
For prisoners in England as of 25 June 2021 the total number who had received their first COVID-19 vaccination was 38,895. The total number of adult prisoners who had received their second COVID-19 vaccination was 19,236. These figures represent approximately 54% and 26% of the population of 72,687 prisoners.
Data for prisoner vaccinations has been provided by NHS England who are responsible for the vaccination programme. Please note that figures in relation to prisoner vaccinations change daily due to the level of activity in the vaccination programme across the estate.
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many COVID-19 vaccinations have been given to (1) prisoners, and (2) prison officers; and what effect, if any, the vaccinations are having on isolation periods for prisoners in their cells.
Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar - Shadow Attorney General
Data on the number of adult prisoners in England that have received Covid-19 vaccinations, as of week ending 4 June, as well as the number of prison officers in Public Sector and Youth Custody Prisons who have declared that they have received their Covid-19 vaccinations, as at midday 11 June 2021, is provided below.
Staff
As of midday 11 June | Staff who have declared that they have received a first dose | Staff who have declared that they have received a second dose |
Total | 5,688 | 2,434 |
Prisoners
As of week ending 4 June 2021 | Population who have received a first dose | Population who have received a second dose |
England total | 27,520 | 16,168 |
Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) strongly encourages all staff and prisoners who are eligible and offered the Covid-19 vaccine to be vaccinated as soon as possible. Employees are asked to provide updates onto the HMPPS HR system once they have had each dose of the vaccine. As the disclosure of their vaccine status is voluntary, it means the self-declaration rates presented below will very likely be lower than the actual number of staff who have been vaccinated. This data will help us understand staff vaccination take up and coverage, plan recovery and infection control measures, and inform recovery decisions.
Data for prisoner vaccinations has been provided by NHS England who are responsible for the vaccination programme. Please note that figures in relation to prisoner vaccinations change daily due to the level of activity in the vaccination programme across the estate and therefore can only be read as a snapshot on the day they were calculated.
Our National Framework for Prison Regimes and Services sets out how we will take decisions about easing restrictions in prisons. Prisons continue to progress through the Stages of the Framework, and vaccination coverage is an important part of the consideration about the necessary degree of restrictions.
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the mental health of prisoners of being confined to their cells for 23 hours a day or more.
Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar - Shadow Attorney General
NHS England & Improvement and NHS Wales are responsible for the assessment and treatment of the mental health needs of those in prison.
When regime restrictions were introduced in prisons to control the spread of COVID-19 and save lives, we recognised that these measures could increase the mental health needs of those in our care. Maintaining prisoners’ mental health and wellbeing has therefore remained a priority throughout the pandemic.
To address anxiety and boredom, we have made available distraction packs, in cell activities and a range of self-help materials, including a Wellbeing Plan, created with input from mental health charity Mind. We have also given staff resources for assisting prisoners who might be struggling, such as guidance for understanding and supporting someone who is self-harming and wellbeing checks for vulnerable and priority groups of prisoners. The Samaritans phone service has remained available and we are working with them to ensure their Listener scheme continues to facilitate peer support between prisoners.
We have also acted quickly to ensure that prisoners could stay in touch with their loved ones, rolling out secure mobile handsets, providing every prisoner with £5 PIN credit per week and introducing secure video calls.
The National Framework provides a roadmap for easing restrictions in prisons when it becomes appropriate, guided by public health advice, alongside an operational assessment of what can be achieved in custodial settings while keeping staff and those in our care safe.
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to set out the (1) stages, and (2) timescales, for lifting the (a) lockdown, and (b) temporary expansion, measures introduced to contain the spread of COVID-19 in prisons.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie - Shadow Minister (Justice)
The latest National Framework for Prison Regimes and Services was published on 2 June and provides a conditional roadmap towards how prisons will operate whilst COVID-19 remains a threat. Prisons will move up or down the stages laid out in the Framework in response to local conditions such as an outbreak of infection in the prison or the community, or rates of staff absence.
The Framework was published on GOV.UK as part of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance and support information.
The additional accommodation units are temporary accommodation only. They are designed to support Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service implement a compartmentalisation strategy. Prisoners will return to their usual accommodation arrangements when safe to do so.
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners, both adult and those in young offender institutions, have been granted early release as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie - Shadow Minister (Justice)
On 31 March, we announced that pregnant women and prisoners with their babies in custody will be considered for Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) on compassionate grounds during the COVID-19 pandemic. As of Friday 15 May, 21 pregnant women and mothers with babies in custody have been released.
In addition, prisoners identified as ‘extremely vulnerable’ as defined in the NHS guidelines will merit consideration for ROTL on compassionate grounds during the COVID-19 pandemic. As of Friday 15 May, 5 extremely vulnerable individuals have been released.
On 4 April, we announced the End of Custody Temporary Release scheme. This scheme enables risk-assessed prisoners, who are within two months of their release date, to be temporarily released from custody, as part of the national approach to managing public services during this challenging period. As of Friday 15 May, 66 offenders have been released under this scheme.
All offenders released were aged 18 and over.
Alongside the careful release of low-risk offenders, we are taking steps to temporarily expand the prison estate, shield the most vulnerable, and reduce the number of prisoners on remand. This is to strike a balance between limiting the spread of COVID-19 in jails while ensuring the public is protected.