Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many escapes there were from (a) prisons and (b) young offender institutions in 2020; and from which prison or institution those escapes took place.

Escapes from prisons and young offender institutions (YOI) are rare. On the rare occasions that they do occur, the prisoner, once returned to custody, is held in tougher conditions and faces further punishment.

Please see data below for the number of prisoner escapes in England and Wales in 2020 and the prison or institution from which the escape took place.

The data recorded is from April 2019 – March 2020.

Escapes 2019-2020:

From establishments – 1

From HMPPS Escorts – 1

In 2019, there was one escape from a prison establishment in the adult male estate HMP Channings Wood, a male Category C. The prisoner was later caught, returned to custody and received an additional sentence for absconding lawful custody. There were no escapes from YOIs in 2020.