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Written Question
Prisoners: Self-harm
Wednesday 12th April 2023

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what were the rates of self-harm by prisoners under Imprisonment for Public Protection in the last five years.

Answered by Lord Bellamy

Please see the attached table showing the rates of self-harm by prisoners under Imprisonment for Public Protection1,2,3,4,5 for the last five years that data is available.

The numbers used to derive the rates of self-harm for this PQ are published. The quarterly population figures are taken from the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly publication and then averaged across the calendar year. The self-harm incidents are taken from the annual self-harm in prison custody tables from the Safety in Custody Quarterly publication. The rates are calculated using these figures, and the methodology described in footnote 5 below.

Imprisonment for public protection (IPP)

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Self-harm incidents per 1,000 prisoners

895.0

1129.5

1271.2

1095.5

1108.0

(1) Figures include incidents during contracted out escorts. Figures do not include incidents at Medway STC.

(2) In prisons, as in the community, it is not possible to count self-harm incidents with absolute accuracy. In prison custody, however, such incidents are more likely to be detected and counted. Care needs to be taken when comparing figures shown here with other sources where data may be less complete.

(3) A new sentence - Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) - was introduced in 2005.

(4) The definition of IPP prisoners included in this analysis only includes unreleased prisoners. IPP prisoners who have been recalled to prison after a release are not included.

(5) Self-harm incident rates are derived by 1,000 x (number of incidents in year)/(average population for year). Prison population figures are from the Offender Management Statistics quarterly bulletin and are averaged across the four quarterly population figures for each year.


Written Question
Prison Sentences
Thursday 6th April 2023

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increase in the numbers of prisoners under Imprisonment for Public Protection serving ten or more years beyond their original tariff.

Answered by Lord Bellamy

The Government is committed to the protection of the public and the effective management of offenders. By law, prisoners serving indeterminate sentences who have completed their tariff will be released only when the Parole Board concludes that it is no longer necessary on the grounds of public protection for them to remain confined.

HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) continues to work closely with Samaritans for the delivery of the Listener Scheme, through which selected prisoners are trained to provide support to fellow prisoners in emotional distress. It is important to highlight that Prison Chaplaincy provides not only faith and belief advice but pastoral care to prisoners of all faiths, beliefs and of none, irrespective of sentence type or length, in support of HMPPS’ commitment to decency, safety and rehabilitation.

As the number of those serving IPP sentences in prison who have never been released reduces, the proportion of cases which are the most complex and high risk increases. This does mean that we should expect that the number of first releases will continue to slow and the time spent past tariff will increase. However, the IPP Action Plan is focused on, firstly, ensuring each IPP prisoner has a sentence plan, regularly reviewed, with clear objectives as to what the prisoner has to do to reduce risk and, secondly, that the prisoner is held in a prison with an opportunity to achieve those objectives.

In the Government response to the Justice Select Committee’s IPP report, we committed to refreshing the IPP Action Plan, focusing not only on important changes to improve the prospects of IPP offenders making progress towards a prospective safe and sustainable release, but also to ensure there are robust processes to drive effective monitoring and accountability for delivery of that plan.

The Women’s Estate Psychology Service (WEPS) have implemented a National IPP strategy which takes a bespoke case management approach to each woman serving an IPP sentence. The overarching goal of the strategy is to ensure that all are proactively supported to progress through their prison sentences as quickly as possible. Psychologists regularly review cases and jointly work with prison and probation colleagues to remove barriers to progression and expedite completion of interventions and services. There are, as of end December 2022, 40 women in custody serving an IPP sentence, 12 of whom have never been released.


Written Question
Prisoners: Pastoral Care
Thursday 6th April 2023

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what emotional support and spiritual provision is available to prisoners under Imprisonment for Public Protection.

Answered by Lord Bellamy

The Government is committed to the protection of the public and the effective management of offenders. By law, prisoners serving indeterminate sentences who have completed their tariff will be released only when the Parole Board concludes that it is no longer necessary on the grounds of public protection for them to remain confined.

HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) continues to work closely with Samaritans for the delivery of the Listener Scheme, through which selected prisoners are trained to provide support to fellow prisoners in emotional distress. It is important to highlight that Prison Chaplaincy provides not only faith and belief advice but pastoral care to prisoners of all faiths, beliefs and of none, irrespective of sentence type or length, in support of HMPPS’ commitment to decency, safety and rehabilitation.

As the number of those serving IPP sentences in prison who have never been released reduces, the proportion of cases which are the most complex and high risk increases. This does mean that we should expect that the number of first releases will continue to slow and the time spent past tariff will increase. However, the IPP Action Plan is focused on, firstly, ensuring each IPP prisoner has a sentence plan, regularly reviewed, with clear objectives as to what the prisoner has to do to reduce risk and, secondly, that the prisoner is held in a prison with an opportunity to achieve those objectives.

In the Government response to the Justice Select Committee’s IPP report, we committed to refreshing the IPP Action Plan, focusing not only on important changes to improve the prospects of IPP offenders making progress towards a prospective safe and sustainable release, but also to ensure there are robust processes to drive effective monitoring and accountability for delivery of that plan.

The Women’s Estate Psychology Service (WEPS) have implemented a National IPP strategy which takes a bespoke case management approach to each woman serving an IPP sentence. The overarching goal of the strategy is to ensure that all are proactively supported to progress through their prison sentences as quickly as possible. Psychologists regularly review cases and jointly work with prison and probation colleagues to remove barriers to progression and expedite completion of interventions and services. There are, as of end December 2022, 40 women in custody serving an IPP sentence, 12 of whom have never been released.


Written Question
Prison Sentences: Women
Thursday 6th April 2023

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the number of women serving sentences under Imprisonment for Public Protection.

Answered by Lord Bellamy

The Government is committed to the protection of the public and the effective management of offenders. By law, prisoners serving indeterminate sentences who have completed their tariff will be released only when the Parole Board concludes that it is no longer necessary on the grounds of public protection for them to remain confined.

HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) continues to work closely with Samaritans for the delivery of the Listener Scheme, through which selected prisoners are trained to provide support to fellow prisoners in emotional distress. It is important to highlight that Prison Chaplaincy provides not only faith and belief advice but pastoral care to prisoners of all faiths, beliefs and of none, irrespective of sentence type or length, in support of HMPPS’ commitment to decency, safety and rehabilitation.

As the number of those serving IPP sentences in prison who have never been released reduces, the proportion of cases which are the most complex and high risk increases. This does mean that we should expect that the number of first releases will continue to slow and the time spent past tariff will increase. However, the IPP Action Plan is focused on, firstly, ensuring each IPP prisoner has a sentence plan, regularly reviewed, with clear objectives as to what the prisoner has to do to reduce risk and, secondly, that the prisoner is held in a prison with an opportunity to achieve those objectives.

In the Government response to the Justice Select Committee’s IPP report, we committed to refreshing the IPP Action Plan, focusing not only on important changes to improve the prospects of IPP offenders making progress towards a prospective safe and sustainable release, but also to ensure there are robust processes to drive effective monitoring and accountability for delivery of that plan.

The Women’s Estate Psychology Service (WEPS) have implemented a National IPP strategy which takes a bespoke case management approach to each woman serving an IPP sentence. The overarching goal of the strategy is to ensure that all are proactively supported to progress through their prison sentences as quickly as possible. Psychologists regularly review cases and jointly work with prison and probation colleagues to remove barriers to progression and expedite completion of interventions and services. There are, as of end December 2022, 40 women in custody serving an IPP sentence, 12 of whom have never been released.


Written Question
Prisoners: Females
Monday 6th March 2023

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many restricted status prisoners were held in the female estate in each of the last 10 years.

Answered by Lord Bellamy

A Restricted Status (RS) prisoner is any female, young person or young adult prisoner, convicted or on remand, whose escape would present a serious risk to the public and who is required to be held in designated secure accommodation.

The table below provides the overall total figure for the specified year for those held in the female estate.

A remanded female prisoner classified as RS is subject to review on an annual basis up until the time of their trial unless further information is received to suggest that an earlier review of their RS status is required.

Following completion of their trial and if convicted and sentenced, the prisoner will then have their First Formal review which will decide whether RS remains warranted.

Total

2012

11

2013

11

2014

8

2015

11

2016

12

2017

19

2018

20

2019

17

2020

18

2021

18

2022

19

2023

21


Written Question
Emergency Services: Crimes of Violence
Tuesday 14th February 2023

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for the Ministry of Justice on 18 October 2022 (59996), what issue resulted in undercounting convictions for offences under the Assaults on Emergency Workers Act 2018; and whether it was rectified for data published in and after November 2022.

Answered by Lord Bellamy

While improving our data processing in 2022, a data mapping issue was discovered in the Courts Proceedings Database production. As detailed in the Criminal Justice System statistics December 2021 publication, an estimated 3,220 convictions for the offence under the Assaults on Emergency Workers Act 2018 were not correctly mapped to the offence of Assault on Emergency Worker between 2019 and 2021 meaning an undercount for that offence in those years. This issue was reflected in the known issues tabs of our published data tools and tables. Convictions in 2018 were not affected.


We fixed the incorrect mapping of 1,919 of these convictions (274 in 2019, 619 in 2020 and 1,026 in 2021) which are presented in the year ending June 2022 edition of the Outcomes by Offence data tool. This means that an estimated undercount of 1,301 convictions for this offence remains (227 in 2019, 530 in 2020 and 544 in 2021). We have quantified the remaining undercount and will explore ways of incorporating this in future publications.

This mapping has been corrected in data for 2022 therefore all data in future years, since the Criminal Justice System statistics June 2022 publication, will present correct figures.


Written Question
Criminal Proceedings: Royal Commissions
Tuesday 13th December 2022

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Bellamy on 28 November (HL Deb col 1561), what plans they have to announce (1) the timeframe, and (2) the terms of reference, for the Royal Commission on the criminal justice process, as announced in the Queen's Speech on 19 December 2019.

Answered by Lord Bellamy

Both the timeframe and terms of reference for the Royal Commission are under review. We continue to prioritise recovery in the criminal justice system and it is right to do so in light of the disruption caused by the Criminal Bar Association’s recent action. Our focus is on delivering our priorities over the coming months and overhauling the UK human rights framework through the Bill of Rights, which will safeguard the wider public interest, while restoring some common sense to our justice system.


Written Question
Prison Sentences
Wednesday 27th July 2022

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people were serving an imprisonment for public protection sentence with a tariff of 10 years or more in each year since 2002; and of those, how many were aged (1) 18 to 20, (2) 21to 24, (3) 25 to 29, (4) 30 to 34, (5) 35 to 39, (6) 40 to 49, (7) 50 to 59, (8) 60 to 69, (9) 70 and older, at the time of sentencing.

Answered by Lord Bellamy

By law, prisoners serving life and other indeterminate sentences must complete their tariff in custody and thereafter be released only when the Parole Board concludes that it is no longer necessary for the protection of the public for them to remain confined to custody. The Government is committed to supporting prisoners to reduce their risk and so progress towards safe release, but the priority is always to protect the public.

HL1735

The following table shows the number of prisoners that received a life sentence with a tariff of 25 years or more and were (1) under 18, (2) 18 to 20, (3) 21 to 24, (4) 25 to 29 (5) 30 to 34 (6) 35 to 39 (7) 40 to 49, (8) 50 to 59, (9) 60 to 69, and (19) 70 years and older, at the time of sentencing, in each year since 2002.

Age at Sentence (in years)

Year of sentence

Under 18

18 to 20

21 to 24

25 to 29

30 to 34

35 to 39

40 to 49

50 to 59

60 to 69

70+

2002

0

0

*

0

0

0

*

0

0

0

2003

0

0

*

*

*

0

0

0

0

0

2004

0

0

*

*

*

*

*

0

0

0

2005

0

*

9

6

3

8

7

*

0

0

2006

0

3

10

24

9

9

9

4

0

0

2007

0

*

6

13

3

4

6

*

0

0

2008

0

*

11

21

14

7

15

*

0

0

2009

0

*

6

22

7

6

5

5

0

0

2010

0

5

10

12

13

11

8

*

*

0

2011

0

*

16

11

11

6

11

4

*

0

2012

*

6

16

26

14

11

10

*

4

0

2013

0

4

10

21

18

11

13

*

*

0

2014

0

9

26

16

12

6

7

5

*

0

2015

0

5

12

17

10

9

13

4

*

0

2016

*

5

10

12

11

12

10

6

*

0

2017

0

*

17

15

4

12

11

3

0

0

2018

0

5

25

15

15

11

15

9

*

0

2019

0

11

14

20

19

18

11

4

0

0

2020

0

3

15

13

6

14

9

3

*

*

2021

*

14

20

22

19

9

16

5

3

0

HL1736

The following tables show the (1) mean, and (2) median, tariff length for people receiving a life sentence aged (a) under 18, (b) 18 to 20, (c) 21 to 24, (d) 25 to 29, (e) 30 to 34, (f) 35 to 39, (g) 40 to 49, (h) 50 to 59, (i) 60 to 69, and (j) 70 years and older, at the time of sentencing, in each year since 2002.

Table 1 – ages (a) under 18, (b) 18 to 20, (c) 21 to 24, (d) 25 to 29

Age at Sentence (in years)

Under 18

18 to 20

21 to 24

25 to 29

Year of Sentence

Average

Median

Average

Median

Average

Median

Average

Median

2002

7

7

9

9

11

11

9

10

2003

9

9

9

9

11

11

9

8

2004

9

9

11

11

12

12

12

12

2005

9

8

10

11

13

12

12

13

2006

9

8

14

13

13

14

16

15

2007

11

10

14

14

14

14

16

14

2008

11

11

15

14

16

15

19

17

2009

12

11

15

14

17

16

20

18

2010

12

12

18

19

18

17

18

18

2011

13

13

17

17

20

19

19

18

2012

14

14

19

19

21

20

21

22

2013

11

11

16

15

19

18

20

20

2014

12

13

18

18

21

20

17

16

2015

13

14

18

19

19

19

20

20

2016

14

13

16

16

20

21

17

17

2017

13

13

17

18

20

20

18

19

2018

13

13

18

18

22

23

20

20

2019

15

15

19

18

21

21

20

20

2020

15

15

18

18

22

22

21

22

2021

15

15

19

18

21

21

20

21

Table 2 – ages (e) 30 to 34, (f) 35 to 39, (g) 40 to 49, (h) 50 to 59

Age at Sentence (in years)

30 to 34

35 to 39

40 to 49

50 to 59

Year of Sentence

Average

Median

Average

Median

Average

Median

Average

Median

2002

9

9

8

8

9

9

9

8

2003

10

10

9

9

9

9

7

4

2004

10

11

10

10

9

9

9

8

2005

11

12

12

12

10

8

12

12

2006

13

12

12

12

12

10

13

12

2007

14

14

13

14

13

12

13

13

2008

17

16

16

15

16

14

12

12

2009

17

15

17

15

15

15

18

17

2010

20

19

20

17

17

17

14

13

2011

18

17

18

17

18

18

16

16

2012

19

17

19

17

18

17

16

15

2013

19

17

19

19

17

16

15

14

2014

19

21

17

17

15

15

16

16

2015

17

17

18

20

15

14

15

15

2016

17

17

18

19

16

16

17

15

2017

16

16

17

17

16

16

14

14

2018

20

20

18

17

16

16

17

16

2019

20

20

21

17

17

18

17

18

2020

18

18

20

21

19

19

14

13

2021

20

19

18

18

18

18

18

18

Table 3 – ages (i) 60 to 69, and (j) 70 years and older

Age at Sentence (in years)

60 to 69

70 and over

Year of Sentence

Average

Median

Average

Median

2002

11

11

8

8

2003

5

5

11

11

2004

10

10

7

7

2005

7

6

NA

NA

2006

12

14

3

3

2007

9

7

9

11

2008

9

8

NA

NA

2009

13

13

NA

NA

2010

15

14

9

9

2011

15

13

NA

NA

2012

19

17

11

11

2013

14

14

9

9

2014

13

10

14

12

2015

18

19

10

9

2016

20

16

11

11

2017

10

10

12

13

2018

15

13

13

13

2019

14

15

14

14

2020

15

14

29

29

2021

18

18

14

14

HL1737

The following tables show the number of prisoners serving a sentence of imprisonment for public protection (IPP) with a tariff of 10 years or more in each year since 2002; and of those, how many were aged (1) 18 to 20, (2) 21to 24, (3) 25 to 29, (4) 30 to 34, (5) 35 to 39, (6) 40 to 49, (7) 50 to 59, (8) 60 to 69, (9) 70 years and older, at the time of sentencing, as at 30 June 2012 to 2021.

Table1 – Year of sentence: 30 June 2012 to 30 June 2016

Age at Sentence (in years)

Year of Sentence

30/06/2012

30/06/2013

30/06/2014

30/06/2015

30/06/2016

Total

91

95

94

94

92

18 - 20

7

7

6

6

6

21 - 24

15

16

15

14

14

25 - 29

18

20

20

21

21

30 - 34

11

11

11

10

10

35 - 39

8

8

8

8

8

40 - 49

19

20

21

22

21

50 - 59

9

10

10

10

9

60 - 69

*

*

*

*

*

70 and over

*

*

*

*

*

Table 2 – Year of sentence: 30 June 2017 to 30 June 2021

Age at Sentence (in years)

Year of Sentence

30/06/2017

30/06/2018

30/06/2019

30/06/2020

30/06/2021

Total

90

87

89

84

76

18 - 20

5

5

5

*

0

21 - 24

14

12

12

13

11

25 - 29

20

20

20

19

17

30 - 34

10

11

11

10

11

35 - 39

8

7

7

7

*

40 - 49

21

21

21

20

17

50 - 59

9

8

10

11

10

60 - 69

*

*

*

*

*

70 and over

*

*

*

*

*

Notes for all figures:

  1. Due to rounding, the interquartile range may not equal the difference between the third and first quartiles.

  1. Tariff length is the time between date of sentence and tariff expiry date.

  1. Figures do not include whole-life orders.

  1. 'NA' means not applicable

  1. An asterisk (*) has been used to suppress values of one or two. This is to prevent the disclosure of individual information. Further disclosure control may be completed where this alone is not sufficient.

  1. Numbers are subject to revision as more data become available.

  1. The figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. Data has been supplied for as many of the requested years as it is possible to provide within cost limits; earlier years may not be available due to changes in recording over time.


Written Question
Life Imprisonment
Wednesday 27th July 2022

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the (1) mean, and (2) median, tariff length for people receiving a life sentence aged (a) under 18, (b) 18 to 20, (c) 21 to 24, (d) 25 to 29, (e) 30 to 34, (f) 35 to 39, (g) 40 to 49, (h) 50 to 59, (i) 60 to 69, and (j) 70 and older, at the time of sentencing, in each year since 2002.

Answered by Lord Bellamy

By law, prisoners serving life and other indeterminate sentences must complete their tariff in custody and thereafter be released only when the Parole Board concludes that it is no longer necessary for the protection of the public for them to remain confined to custody. The Government is committed to supporting prisoners to reduce their risk and so progress towards safe release, but the priority is always to protect the public.

HL1735

The following table shows the number of prisoners that received a life sentence with a tariff of 25 years or more and were (1) under 18, (2) 18 to 20, (3) 21 to 24, (4) 25 to 29 (5) 30 to 34 (6) 35 to 39 (7) 40 to 49, (8) 50 to 59, (9) 60 to 69, and (19) 70 years and older, at the time of sentencing, in each year since 2002.

Age at Sentence (in years)

Year of sentence

Under 18

18 to 20

21 to 24

25 to 29

30 to 34

35 to 39

40 to 49

50 to 59

60 to 69

70+

2002

0

0

*

0

0

0

*

0

0

0

2003

0

0

*

*

*

0

0

0

0

0

2004

0

0

*

*

*

*

*

0

0

0

2005

0

*

9

6

3

8

7

*

0

0

2006

0

3

10

24

9

9

9

4

0

0

2007

0

*

6

13

3

4

6

*

0

0

2008

0

*

11

21

14

7

15

*

0

0

2009

0

*

6

22

7

6

5

5

0

0

2010

0

5

10

12

13

11

8

*

*

0

2011

0

*

16

11

11

6

11

4

*

0

2012

*

6

16

26

14

11

10

*

4

0

2013

0

4

10

21

18

11

13

*

*

0

2014

0

9

26

16

12

6

7

5

*

0

2015

0

5

12

17

10

9

13

4

*

0

2016

*

5

10

12

11

12

10

6

*

0

2017

0

*

17

15

4

12

11

3

0

0

2018

0

5

25

15

15

11

15

9

*

0

2019

0

11

14

20

19

18

11

4

0

0

2020

0

3

15

13

6

14

9

3

*

*

2021

*

14

20

22

19

9

16

5

3

0

HL1736

The following tables show the (1) mean, and (2) median, tariff length for people receiving a life sentence aged (a) under 18, (b) 18 to 20, (c) 21 to 24, (d) 25 to 29, (e) 30 to 34, (f) 35 to 39, (g) 40 to 49, (h) 50 to 59, (i) 60 to 69, and (j) 70 years and older, at the time of sentencing, in each year since 2002.

Table 1 – ages (a) under 18, (b) 18 to 20, (c) 21 to 24, (d) 25 to 29

Age at Sentence (in years)

Under 18

18 to 20

21 to 24

25 to 29

Year of Sentence

Average

Median

Average

Median

Average

Median

Average

Median

2002

7

7

9

9

11

11

9

10

2003

9

9

9

9

11

11

9

8

2004

9

9

11

11

12

12

12

12

2005

9

8

10

11

13

12

12

13

2006

9

8

14

13

13

14

16

15

2007

11

10

14

14

14

14

16

14

2008

11

11

15

14

16

15

19

17

2009

12

11

15

14

17

16

20

18

2010

12

12

18

19

18

17

18

18

2011

13

13

17

17

20

19

19

18

2012

14

14

19

19

21

20

21

22

2013

11

11

16

15

19

18

20

20

2014

12

13

18

18

21

20

17

16

2015

13

14

18

19

19

19

20

20

2016

14

13

16

16

20

21

17

17

2017

13

13

17

18

20

20

18

19

2018

13

13

18

18

22

23

20

20

2019

15

15

19

18

21

21

20

20

2020

15

15

18

18

22

22

21

22

2021

15

15

19

18

21

21

20

21

Table 2 – ages (e) 30 to 34, (f) 35 to 39, (g) 40 to 49, (h) 50 to 59

Age at Sentence (in years)

30 to 34

35 to 39

40 to 49

50 to 59

Year of Sentence

Average

Median

Average

Median

Average

Median

Average

Median

2002

9

9

8

8

9

9

9

8

2003

10

10

9

9

9

9

7

4

2004

10

11

10

10

9

9

9

8

2005

11

12

12

12

10

8

12

12

2006

13

12

12

12

12

10

13

12

2007

14

14

13

14

13

12

13

13

2008

17

16

16

15

16

14

12

12

2009

17

15

17

15

15

15

18

17

2010

20

19

20

17

17

17

14

13

2011

18

17

18

17

18

18

16

16

2012

19

17

19

17

18

17

16

15

2013

19

17

19

19

17

16

15

14

2014

19

21

17

17

15

15

16

16

2015

17

17

18

20

15

14

15

15

2016

17

17

18

19

16

16

17

15

2017

16

16

17

17

16

16

14

14

2018

20

20

18

17

16

16

17

16

2019

20

20

21

17

17

18

17

18

2020

18

18

20

21

19

19

14

13

2021

20

19

18

18

18

18

18

18

Table 3 – ages (i) 60 to 69, and (j) 70 years and older

Age at Sentence (in years)

60 to 69

70 and over

Year of Sentence

Average

Median

Average

Median

2002

11

11

8

8

2003

5

5

11

11

2004

10

10

7

7

2005

7

6

NA

NA

2006

12

14

3

3

2007

9

7

9

11

2008

9

8

NA

NA

2009

13

13

NA

NA

2010

15

14

9

9

2011

15

13

NA

NA

2012

19

17

11

11

2013

14

14

9

9

2014

13

10

14

12

2015

18

19

10

9

2016

20

16

11

11

2017

10

10

12

13

2018

15

13

13

13

2019

14

15

14

14

2020

15

14

29

29

2021

18

18

14

14

HL1737

The following tables show the number of prisoners serving a sentence of imprisonment for public protection (IPP) with a tariff of 10 years or more in each year since 2002; and of those, how many were aged (1) 18 to 20, (2) 21to 24, (3) 25 to 29, (4) 30 to 34, (5) 35 to 39, (6) 40 to 49, (7) 50 to 59, (8) 60 to 69, (9) 70 years and older, at the time of sentencing, as at 30 June 2012 to 2021.

Table1 – Year of sentence: 30 June 2012 to 30 June 2016

Age at Sentence (in years)

Year of Sentence

30/06/2012

30/06/2013

30/06/2014

30/06/2015

30/06/2016

Total

91

95

94

94

92

18 - 20

7

7

6

6

6

21 - 24

15

16

15

14

14

25 - 29

18

20

20

21

21

30 - 34

11

11

11

10

10

35 - 39

8

8

8

8

8

40 - 49

19

20

21

22

21

50 - 59

9

10

10

10

9

60 - 69

*

*

*

*

*

70 and over

*

*

*

*

*

Table 2 – Year of sentence: 30 June 2017 to 30 June 2021

Age at Sentence (in years)

Year of Sentence

30/06/2017

30/06/2018

30/06/2019

30/06/2020

30/06/2021

Total

90

87

89

84

76

18 - 20

5

5

5

*

0

21 - 24

14

12

12

13

11

25 - 29

20

20

20

19

17

30 - 34

10

11

11

10

11

35 - 39

8

7

7

7

*

40 - 49

21

21

21

20

17

50 - 59

9

8

10

11

10

60 - 69

*

*

*

*

*

70 and over

*

*

*

*

*

Notes for all figures:

  1. Due to rounding, the interquartile range may not equal the difference between the third and first quartiles.

  1. Tariff length is the time between date of sentence and tariff expiry date.

  1. Figures do not include whole-life orders.

  1. 'NA' means not applicable

  1. An asterisk (*) has been used to suppress values of one or two. This is to prevent the disclosure of individual information. Further disclosure control may be completed where this alone is not sufficient.

  1. Numbers are subject to revision as more data become available.

  1. The figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. Data has been supplied for as many of the requested years as it is possible to provide within cost limits; earlier years may not be available due to changes in recording over time.


Written Question
Life Imprisonment
Wednesday 27th July 2022

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people received a life sentence with a tariff of 25 years or more and were (1) under 18, (2) 18 to 20, (3) 21 to 24, (4) 25 to 29 (5) 30 to 34 (6) 35 to 39 (7) 40 to 49, (8) 50 to 59, (9) 60 to 69, and (19) 70 and older, at the time of sentencing, in each year since 2002.

Answered by Lord Bellamy

By law, prisoners serving life and other indeterminate sentences must complete their tariff in custody and thereafter be released only when the Parole Board concludes that it is no longer necessary for the protection of the public for them to remain confined to custody. The Government is committed to supporting prisoners to reduce their risk and so progress towards safe release, but the priority is always to protect the public.

HL1735

The following table shows the number of prisoners that received a life sentence with a tariff of 25 years or more and were (1) under 18, (2) 18 to 20, (3) 21 to 24, (4) 25 to 29 (5) 30 to 34 (6) 35 to 39 (7) 40 to 49, (8) 50 to 59, (9) 60 to 69, and (19) 70 years and older, at the time of sentencing, in each year since 2002.

Age at Sentence (in years)

Year of sentence

Under 18

18 to 20

21 to 24

25 to 29

30 to 34

35 to 39

40 to 49

50 to 59

60 to 69

70+

2002

0

0

*

0

0

0

*

0

0

0

2003

0

0

*

*

*

0

0

0

0

0

2004

0

0

*

*

*

*

*

0

0

0

2005

0

*

9

6

3

8

7

*

0

0

2006

0

3

10

24

9

9

9

4

0

0

2007

0

*

6

13

3

4

6

*

0

0

2008

0

*

11

21

14

7

15

*

0

0

2009

0

*

6

22

7

6

5

5

0

0

2010

0

5

10

12

13

11

8

*

*

0

2011

0

*

16

11

11

6

11

4

*

0

2012

*

6

16

26

14

11

10

*

4

0

2013

0

4

10

21

18

11

13

*

*

0

2014

0

9

26

16

12

6

7

5

*

0

2015

0

5

12

17

10

9

13

4

*

0

2016

*

5

10

12

11

12

10

6

*

0

2017

0

*

17

15

4

12

11

3

0

0

2018

0

5

25

15

15

11

15

9

*

0

2019

0

11

14

20

19

18

11

4

0

0

2020

0

3

15

13

6

14

9

3

*

*

2021

*

14

20

22

19

9

16

5

3

0

HL1736

The following tables show the (1) mean, and (2) median, tariff length for people receiving a life sentence aged (a) under 18, (b) 18 to 20, (c) 21 to 24, (d) 25 to 29, (e) 30 to 34, (f) 35 to 39, (g) 40 to 49, (h) 50 to 59, (i) 60 to 69, and (j) 70 years and older, at the time of sentencing, in each year since 2002.

Table 1 – ages (a) under 18, (b) 18 to 20, (c) 21 to 24, (d) 25 to 29

Age at Sentence (in years)

Under 18

18 to 20

21 to 24

25 to 29

Year of Sentence

Average

Median

Average

Median

Average

Median

Average

Median

2002

7

7

9

9

11

11

9

10

2003

9

9

9

9

11

11

9

8

2004

9

9

11

11

12

12

12

12

2005

9

8

10

11

13

12

12

13

2006

9

8

14

13

13

14

16

15

2007

11

10

14

14

14

14

16

14

2008

11

11

15

14

16

15

19

17

2009

12

11

15

14

17

16

20

18

2010

12

12

18

19

18

17

18

18

2011

13

13

17

17

20

19

19

18

2012

14

14

19

19

21

20

21

22

2013

11

11

16

15

19

18

20

20

2014

12

13

18

18

21

20

17

16

2015

13

14

18

19

19

19

20

20

2016

14

13

16

16

20

21

17

17

2017

13

13

17

18

20

20

18

19

2018

13

13

18

18

22

23

20

20

2019

15

15

19

18

21

21

20

20

2020

15

15

18

18

22

22

21

22

2021

15

15

19

18

21

21

20

21

Table 2 – ages (e) 30 to 34, (f) 35 to 39, (g) 40 to 49, (h) 50 to 59

Age at Sentence (in years)

30 to 34

35 to 39

40 to 49

50 to 59

Year of Sentence

Average

Median

Average

Median

Average

Median

Average

Median

2002

9

9

8

8

9

9

9

8

2003

10

10

9

9

9

9

7

4

2004

10

11

10

10

9

9

9

8

2005

11

12

12

12

10

8

12

12

2006

13

12

12

12

12

10

13

12

2007

14

14

13

14

13

12

13

13

2008

17

16

16

15

16

14

12

12

2009

17

15

17

15

15

15

18

17

2010

20

19

20

17

17

17

14

13

2011

18

17

18

17

18

18

16

16

2012

19

17

19

17

18

17

16

15

2013

19

17

19

19

17

16

15

14

2014

19

21

17

17

15

15

16

16

2015

17

17

18

20

15

14

15

15

2016

17

17

18

19

16

16

17

15

2017

16

16

17

17

16

16

14

14

2018

20

20

18

17

16

16

17

16

2019

20

20

21

17

17

18

17

18

2020

18

18

20

21

19

19

14

13

2021

20

19

18

18

18

18

18

18

Table 3 – ages (i) 60 to 69, and (j) 70 years and older

Age at Sentence (in years)

60 to 69

70 and over

Year of Sentence

Average

Median

Average

Median

2002

11

11

8

8

2003

5

5

11

11

2004

10

10

7

7

2005

7

6

NA

NA

2006

12

14

3

3

2007

9

7

9

11

2008

9

8

NA

NA

2009

13

13

NA

NA

2010

15

14

9

9

2011

15

13

NA

NA

2012

19

17

11

11

2013

14

14

9

9

2014

13

10

14

12

2015

18

19

10

9

2016

20

16

11

11

2017

10

10

12

13

2018

15

13

13

13

2019

14

15

14

14

2020

15

14

29

29

2021

18

18

14

14

HL1737

The following tables show the number of prisoners serving a sentence of imprisonment for public protection (IPP) with a tariff of 10 years or more in each year since 2002; and of those, how many were aged (1) 18 to 20, (2) 21to 24, (3) 25 to 29, (4) 30 to 34, (5) 35 to 39, (6) 40 to 49, (7) 50 to 59, (8) 60 to 69, (9) 70 years and older, at the time of sentencing, as at 30 June 2012 to 2021.

Table1 – Year of sentence: 30 June 2012 to 30 June 2016

Age at Sentence (in years)

Year of Sentence

30/06/2012

30/06/2013

30/06/2014

30/06/2015

30/06/2016

Total

91

95

94

94

92

18 - 20

7

7

6

6

6

21 - 24

15

16

15

14

14

25 - 29

18

20

20

21

21

30 - 34

11

11

11

10

10

35 - 39

8

8

8

8

8

40 - 49

19

20

21

22

21

50 - 59

9

10

10

10

9

60 - 69

*

*

*

*

*

70 and over

*

*

*

*

*

Table 2 – Year of sentence: 30 June 2017 to 30 June 2021

Age at Sentence (in years)

Year of Sentence

30/06/2017

30/06/2018

30/06/2019

30/06/2020

30/06/2021

Total

90

87

89

84

76

18 - 20

5

5

5

*

0

21 - 24

14

12

12

13

11

25 - 29

20

20

20

19

17

30 - 34

10

11

11

10

11

35 - 39

8

7

7

7

*

40 - 49

21

21

21

20

17

50 - 59

9

8

10

11

10

60 - 69

*

*

*

*

*

70 and over

*

*

*

*

*

Notes for all figures:

  1. Due to rounding, the interquartile range may not equal the difference between the third and first quartiles.

  1. Tariff length is the time between date of sentence and tariff expiry date.

  1. Figures do not include whole-life orders.

  1. 'NA' means not applicable

  1. An asterisk (*) has been used to suppress values of one or two. This is to prevent the disclosure of individual information. Further disclosure control may be completed where this alone is not sufficient.

  1. Numbers are subject to revision as more data become available.

  1. The figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. Data has been supplied for as many of the requested years as it is possible to provide within cost limits; earlier years may not be available due to changes in recording over time.