Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2015 to Question 3603, how many offenders serving a sentence for murder (a) absconded and (b) escaped; and in what circumstances those offenders absconded or escaped in each case.

The number of escapes and absconds from prison have fallen to record lows since 2010. Only one prisoner serving a sentence for murder has escaped from a closed prison in the last 5 years and the prisoner was recaptured the following day. There was a thorough investigation and as a result substantial changes were made to further improve security.

Absconds from open prisons are down 75% over the last ten years but each and every incident is taken seriously. We are not complacent and offenders who abscond are returned to closed prison conditions.

The table attached provides details of escapes and absconds between 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2014 of offenders serving a sentence for murder.