Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to paragraph 2 on page 5 of the Female Offender Strategy, published in June 2018, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) male and b) female prisoners who have experienced chaotic lifestyles.

It is important to understand the personal circumstances and needs of offenders who receive custody and community disposals, if we are to effectively support their rehabilitation.

Information on the criminogenic and responsivity needs of offenders is captured through the Offender Assessment System (OASyS). The most recent figures were published on 18 July 2019 in the ‘Identified needs of offenders in custody and the community from OASyS,’ based on a snapshot as at 30 June 2018.

These figures show that females assessed in custody had a higher average number of needs per person (5.05) than males in custody (4.88), and higher than both females (3.81) and males (3.72) in the community.

Females in custody had a higher prevalence of relationship needs (80%) than males in custody (69%), as well as accommodation (64% compared to 56%), drugs (50% compared to 45%), alcohol (22% compared to 17%) and employability needs (66% compared to 62%).