Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, at what average distance from their home address have (a) young adult prisoners, (b) adult prisoners and (c) children prisoners been held in each year since 2010, broken down by sex.

A year-by-year summary of distance, in miles, from home for prisoners in the three listed age categories, in both female and male prisons is listed below.

There are complex and wide-ranging issues involved in transferring and locating prisoners, and allocation decisions must reflect both the specific needs and circumstances of the prisoner, including their security assessment, as well as the operating environment and range of services at the receiving prison.

HMPPS is committed to ensuring, where practicable and appropriate, that prisoners are accommodated as close as possible to their resettlement communities and families. Whilst this is a priority, it is not always possible due to a variety of factors including wider population pressures, or where prisoners have specific sentence planning needs which can only be met at certain establishments.