Statistics of the Prison Population Flashcards
Prison Pop.
England & Wales, June 2016
84,405
exp. 90k by 2020
Prison pop. increase since 1993?
92% rise (incr. by 41k)
greater use of long sentences accounts for 66% of rise; avg. sentence 3mo longer today
Cost of prison ?
£36k
down 18% since 2009
E&W comparative imprisonment rate (to Europe) ?
147/100k
Highest in W. Europe
(Scotland: 143/100k; N.I.: 78/100k)
E&W have 2x as many indeterminate sentences as FRA, GER, ITA combined.
What % of world prison pop. are in the US ?
25% of world prisoners (but only 5% of world pop.)
1972: 300k prisoners
2016: 2.3mil
Highest incarceration rate in the world.
% of prisoners serving 4+ yrs (incl. indeterminate)
56% of total
incr. by 26k since 1993
Prisoners serving indeterminate sentences?
11.5k
(64% = life sentence)
(36% serving an IPP)
% of prisoners serving IPP past tariff expiry date?
81%
avg. = 44mo beyond tariff
% of people entering prison w ≤6mo sentence?
48%
% of prisoners who ran away from home as child
47% of males; 50% of females
compared to 10% of gen. pop.
% of prisoners taken into care as child
+25%
compared to 2% of gen. pop.
% of prisoners w convicted family member
43%
% of prisoners w convicted family member who’d been in prison?
35%
% prisoners unmarried pre-custody?
81%
double the gen. pop.
% of prisoners divorced since imprisonment?
10%
double the gen. pop.
% of young male offenders who are fathers?
25%
% of women living at home w dependent children at time of custody?
20%
Proportion of prisoners excluded from school?
1/2 of males; 1/3rd of females
Proportion of prisoners w/o qualifications?
1/2 of males; 7/10 females
Prisoners’ numeracy, writing & reading skills (vs. level expected of 11yro)
Numeracy: 2/3 (±66%)
Reading: 50%
Writing: 82%
% prisoners unemployed in 4wks before custody?
2/3rds
% of prisoners w 2+ mental disorders?
70%
Gen. Pop. = 5% men; 2% women
Prisoners’ likelihood to abuse drugs/alcohol?
Far more likely than gen. pop.
% of prisoners in receipt of benefits immediately pre-custody?
75%
Link b/w prison numbers and crime levels?
National Audit Office
No consistent correlation.
*same int’l findings: Seppala (2015)
# of deaths in prison ? (March 2015-2016)
290
= highest number on record
# of fires in E&W prisons? (2015)
1935 fires (160/mo) = 57% incr.
Rates of self-harm in E&W prisons?
2015
+32,300 = highest ever recorded
40% incr. in 2 yrs
% of adult reconviction w/in 1yr of release?
46%
- Those serving ≤12mo = 60%
Most at risk of self-harm in prison pop. ?
- Indeterminate sentences for IPP.
(550 incidents of 1000 serving an IPP) - Women = 23% of all self-harm incidents
(represent only 5% of total prison pop).
Risk of self-harm - women v. men?
2016: women = 23% of all incidents (down from 1/3rd in 2011)
(only 5% of total prison pop).
* but also reflects sharp rise in men incidents
10yr trend of deaths from natural causes in prison ?
Nearly doubled.
Avg. age = 56yrs
General rates of prison violence ?
Rising sharply since 2012.
Serious assaults more than doubled in 3yrs
% of prisoners homeless OR w/o permanent accommodation pre-custody?
15% and 33%, respectively
Effectiveness of short prison sentences vs CommPens on reoffending?
7% higher reoffending rate (+ more crimes committed) for short prison sentences (<12mo)
% of under-18s reconvicted w/in 1yr?
+68%
# of people remanded to prison pre-trial? (2015)
40.5k
% of people remanded accused of non-violent offences?
60%
17% theft; 10% drugs
% of current prison pop on remand?
12% of total (10k)
68% await trial; rest await sentence
% of self-inflicted deaths by prisoners on remand?
2015
2/5
% of women reconvicted w/in 1yr of release?
48%
77% if served 11+ previous custodial sentences
Economic cost of reoffending?
£9.5-13/yr
(3/4 can be attributed to former short-sentenced prisoners)
(National Audit Office)
% of ROTL completed successfully?
99.95%
Reduction of ROTL use ?
-37% (due to new restrictions)
% of prisoners overcrowded?
> 25%
over half of E&W prisons overcrowded
Overcrowding in private v public prisons ?
Private have higher % of overcrowding than public ever year since 2000
NOMS budget reduction since 2010-2011?
Reduced by nearly 25%
savings of £900m
% of prisons “of concern” or “of serious concern” ?
24%
dbl. since 2012
Male to female prisoners?
95% men; 5% women
of under-18s entering YJS ?
82% fall (2007-2015)
Taylor Report
of C/YAs in custody?
under-18s = 900 18-20s = 4.7k
= 67% decrease (2007-2015)
(Taylor Report)
% of C/YAs reoffending w/in 1yr of release?
69%
% of children in prison w absent parents?
75% w/o father
1/3 w/o mother
% of children in prison on child protection register OR experienced neglect/abuse?
40%
Rates of women imprisonment ?
3.8k
nearly tripled b/w 1993-2005
% of women in prison sentenced for non-violent offence?
85%
42% for theft/handling stolen goods
% of women entering prison serving ≤6mo ?
61%
in 1993: 1/3rd
% of women prisoners reporting abuse as child?
53% women
27% men
% of women prisoners reporting domestic abuse history ?
46%
s of children affected by parental imprisonment?
200k children in E&W had parent in prison during 2009
more than double children affected by divorce
of children separated from moms by prison?
> 17.2k (in 2010)
% of women in prison est’d to have 1+ dependent children?
13-20%
Effect of parental imprisonment on children’s risk ?
300% risk for antisocial/delinquent behavior
Farrington 2008
Avg. distance b/w women’s prisons and their families?
60mi (but many held further)
–> makes visiting difficult/expensive
% of women in prison who are foreign nationals ?
13%
% of prison population BAME?
26% (55/10k of pop’n)
(v. 14% of gen. pop.)
Equality & Human Rights Comm’n: UK more disproportionate than in the US
% of black prisoners?
10%
v. 2.8% of gen. pop.
% of Muslim prisoners?
15% of prison pop.
doubled b/w 2002-2016
% prisoners in receipt of mental health treatment in yr before custody ?
16% men; 26% women
% prisoners reporting symptoms indicative of psychosis ?
15% men; 25% women
vs. 4% in general public
% of women prisoners reporting suicide attempt at some point in life?
46%
men prisoners = 21%; gen. pop. = 6%
Suicide rates in custody ?
120/100k people
gen. pop. = 10.8/120k people
