Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve oversight of licence recalls.

The number of offenders in prison due to licence recall is available only since 1993.

Total recall population, 30 June 1993 - 2017; England & Wales

Data sources and quality

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.

The number of prisoners recalled on licence who were (a) men and (b) women in each year since 2010 is:

Notes

(1) Figures for earlier years may not match those previously published due to data being taken from a live database.”

(2) Unavailable is indicated by a dash (-).

Public protection is our priority and recall is used to ensure that offenders on licence who present a high risk of harm to the public or are at risk of re-offending are returned to custody as quickly as possible - and for as long as necessary to protect the public. Probation services assess the risk an offender poses and recommend recall where they consider that necessary in all the circumstances. Officials in HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) HQ will then ensure that the probation services have provided the evidence to support the recall before formally revoking the offender’s licence. We are committed to ensuring that the power to recall is used effectively and appropriately and that offender managers identify alternatives to recall wherever possible We are taking steps to make sure that recalled offenders are re-released only once it is safe to do so and that offenders under probation supervision are given every opportunity and support to complete their licence periods successfully.