Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many miles on average female prisoners have been held from their home address in each year since 2010.
A year-by-year summary of distance from home for prisoners in female and male prisons is listed below.
| Female Prisons Average Distance (miles) | Male Prisons Average Distance (miles) |
01/09/2010 | 48.4 | 43.2 |
01/09/2011 | 46.5 | 42.7 |
01/09/2012 | 45.6 | 43 |
01/09/2013 | 44.6 | 43.5 |
01/09/2014 | 45.7 | 42.8 |
01/09/2015 | 44.7 | 42.6 |
01/09/2016 | 46.9 | 43.2 |
01/09/2017 | 47.3 | 44.5 |
01/09/2018 | 47.8 | 45.1 |
01/09/2019 | 49.2 | 46 |
01/09/2020 | 47.5 | 45.6 |
01/09/2021 | 45.8 | 45 |
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.
HM Prisons and Probation Service is committed to ensuring, where practicable, 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.