Asked by: Lord Touhig (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for judges asking individuals whom they have remanded or sentenced to prison whether there are any children or vulnerable adults dependent upon them.
Answered by Lord Faulks
The Government is examining practical measures to ensure that information about dependents of those sent to custody is identified and recorded. The Government has considered the case for a statutory duty on courts to inquire about the existence of dependents but remains concerned that such a duty would be impractical for the courts to operate and not be effective in encouraging defendants and offenders to disclose, as early as possible, the existence of dependents.
Asked by: Lord Touhig (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the case for a statutory duty on courts to identify whether individuals sentenced to prison or held on remand have children or vulnerable adults dependent on them.
Answered by Lord Faulks
The Government has considered the case for a statutory duty on courts to inquire about the existence of dependents and satisfy themselves of the adequacy of care arrangements. The Government remains concerned however that the proposed statutory duty may be impractical for the courts to operate and not be effective in encouraging defendants and offenders to disclose, as early as possible, the existence of dependents. The Government is however examining alternative approaches to ensuring that information about dependents of those sent to custody is recorded.
Asked by: Lord Touhig (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will publish the governance arrangements and draft rules for secure colleges.
Answered by Lord Faulks
Ahead of the Report stage of the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill we will be publishing and consulting on our approach to the Secure College Rules. Where appropriate, the consultation will set out some draft indicative provisions. We do not intend to consult on a draft of the Rules themselves; we consider that consulting on the underlying principles rather than the detailed drafting will better enable consideration by consultees.
The Rules will be drafted in light of the outcome of the consultation and laid before Parliament ahead of the opening of the Secure College pathfinder in 2017.
The key statutory governance requirements for Secure Colleges are set out in the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill with the final arrangements being confirmed ahead of the opening of the Secure College pathfinder in 2017.
Asked by: Lord Touhig (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria will be used when placing a child in a secure college over a secure children's home.
Answered by Lord Faulks
The Youth Justice Board currently decides the most appropriate placement for young people remanded or sentenced to custody. Placement decisions are based on the individual needs of young people and take into account advice from Youth Offending Teams. This assessment informs whether the young person is suitable for placement in a Secure Children’s Home rather than a Secure Training Centre or Young Offenders Institution. The same process will apply when there is the option of placement in Secure Colleges.
Asked by: Lord Touhig (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what the reoffending rate is for children who have served sentences in (1) secure children's homes, (2) young offenders' institutions, and (3) secure training centres.
Answered by Lord Faulks
Reducing reoffending and better rehabilitation of young offenders are key priorities for the Government In January 2014 we set out our plans to transform youth custody and put education at the heart of detention, to equip young people in custody with the skills, qualifications and self-discipline they need to build a life free from crime and become productive, hardworking members of the community.
Statistics on proven re-offending for juvenile offenders are published by the Ministry of Justice on a quarterly basis in the ‘Proven Re-offending Statistics Quarterly Bulletin’ at the link below:
The latest proven re-offending rates[1] for juvenile offenders in England and Wales who were released from the youth custodial estate, by individual establishment, can be found in Table 23 of the Proven Re-offending Statistics Quarterly Bulletin, July 2011 to June 2012.
Different establishments cater for offenders with different risks and needs, so these figures should not be used to compare re-offending across establishments.
[1] A proven re-offence is defined as any offence committed in a one year follow-up period that leads to a court conviction, caution, reprimand or warning in the one year follow-up or within a further six month waiting period to allow the offence to be proven in court
Asked by: Lord Touhig (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many children currently in (1) secure children's homes, (2) young offenders' institutions, and (3) secure training centres, have previous convictions.
Answered by Lord Faulks
Reducing reoffending and better rehabilitation of young offenders are key priorities for the Government and we are committed to providing young people with the support they need to achieve this.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) holds information on previous convictions for young people who offend, but this is not held by individual establishment or by sector for the youth secure estate.
The Youth Justice Board (YJB) Placements Team holds the assessment record of each young person currently in custody, which would indicate whether or not they have a previous conviction. However, this is management information used to inform individual custody placement decisions. It is not intended for official reporting purposes and is not therefore of the same nature as offending history data published in the MoJ official statistics report: ‘Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly Bulletin’, which is sourced from the Police National Computer (PNC).
Statistics on offending history for juvenile offenders are published by the MoJ on a quarterly basis in the ‘Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly Bulletin’ at the link below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly-december-2013
The MoJ and YJB are investigating the feasibility of linking between YJB administrative systems and the PNC to establish offending history by secure estate sector.
Asked by: Lord Touhig (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many children in the care of a single parent are currently affected by parental imprisonment in England and Wales.
Answered by Lord Faulks
The Ministry of Justice does not centrally collate or hold information on the questions above.
Asked by: Lord Touhig (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many children are currently affected by parental imprisonment in England and Wales.
Answered by Lord Faulks
The Ministry of Justice does not centrally collate or hold information on the questions above.