Prisoners
(asked on 31st March 2022) - View Source
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many miles on average a person currently in prison aged (1) 15–17, (2) 18–24, (3) 25–29, and (4) 30 and over, is held from their home.
Answered by
Baroness Scott of Bybrook
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The requested information can be found in the table below. This information includes male and female prisoners held in prisons and young offender institutions in England and Wales and was accurate as of Friday 25th March 2022.
Age Group | Average Straight-Line Distance from home address (Miles) |
15–17 | 48.7 |
18–24 | 37.5 |
25–29 | 42.0 |
30 and over | 47.4 |
Total | 45.1 |
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, 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.