Q. Prisons: Discipline

Prisons: Discipline

(asked on 24th June 2015) - View Source

Questioner

Philip Davies
(Conservative - Shipley)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, (a) how many additional days were added to prisoners' sentences and (b) in what proportion of adjudications days were added in (i) 2000, (ii) 2010 and (iii) the latest year for which information is held; and for what reasons the days were so added in each such year.

Answered by

Andrew Selous

This question was answered on 2nd July 2015

Discipline procedures are central to the maintenance of a safe custodial environment.

Since 2003 Independent Adjudicators, who are District Judges or Deputy District Judges hear those cases where a serious breach of the Prison and YOI Rules has occurred, and which might result in the prisoner receiving a punishment of additional days to their time spent in custody if found guilty.

The tables below provide the number of adjudications where additional days were given, the percentage of those against the total adjudications and the reasons why those additional days were given, in 2000, 2010 and 2014.

Tables 1 – 3: Number of incidences punished by additional days awarded and number of days of additional days by incidence group, 2000, 2010 and 2014, England and Wales

Table 1
	Number	Violence	Escape or abscond	Disobedience or disrespect	Wilful damage	Unauthorised transactions or possession	Other incidences

Adjudications where additional days were given⁽¹⁾	63,918 (36% of total adjudications)	10,620	717	21,563	2,896	22,506	5,616
Adjudications where additional days were given⁽¹⁾

Number of days for which additional days were given⁽²⁾	888,250	175,544	9,832	288,645	57,148	281,717	75,364
Number of days for which additional days were given⁽²⁾

Table 2
	Number	Violence	Escape or abscond	Disobedience or disrespect	Wilful damage	Unauthorised transactions or possession	Other incidences

Number of awards where additional days were given⁽¹⁾	9,006	913	22	1,381	440	5,809	441
Number of awards where additional days were given⁽¹⁾	(5% of total adjudications)

Number of days for which additional days were given⁽²⁾	172,260	17,562	419	25,093	9,003	111,206	8,977
Number of days for which additional days were given⁽²⁾

Table 3
Incidence	Number	Violence	Escape or abscond	Disobedience or disrespect	Wilful damage	Unauthorised transactions or possession	Other incidences
Number of awards where additional days were given⁽¹⁾	10,119	1,377	4	1,428	465	6,119	726
Number of awards where additional days were given⁽¹⁾	(6% of total adjudications)

Number of days for which additional days were given⁽²⁾	165,185	22,681	77	20,145	8,172	102,570	11,540
Number of days for which additional days were given⁽²⁾

Notes:

'-' Data is not applicable.

1 - The number of incidents may be committed at one establishment and punished at another.

2 - Figures correspond to the sum of the number of days given for each punishment received after an incident of misbehaviour. If an offender receives 2 punishments as a result of an assault against a prison officer and each punishment attracts 20 days, then the offender will have received a total of 40 additional days.

Prisons: Discipline

Questioner

Answered by

Reticulating Splines