SECURE FACILITIES

Details relating to the AGIS activity:-

Researched Data for the Project

The Protection of Children in and From Prison.

•  Introduction

This report is prepared on from a combination of sources. Data in relation to STCs and LASCHs is gathered from the YJB SACHS database. Information about young people held in Prison Service accommodation is mainly drawn from prison service data.

•  Trends in the Use of Secure Accommodation

Please note data presented in most of the charts (excepting Chart 15) relates only to young people under 18. The information is presented in this way because it means that “like” can be compared with “like” i.e. young people under 18 in custody over time.

However there are a significant number of sentenced young people who are 18 and who are accommodated in the Juvenile Estate. Chart 15 analyses the build up and size of this population.

Because this is a “Snapshot” of current activity we have noted some headlines to note in relation to near recent data are:

Chart 1 shows that the overall under 18 population rose by 47 during January from 2598 to 2645. There is usually an increase in the population at this time of year but it is encouraging to note that this rise was significantly less than that which occurred in the same period last year, when the figure increased by 77.

Chart 1 shows that the under-18 population at the end of January was 22 less than the same period in the previous year, 2645 compared to 2667.

Chart 3 shows that both the remanded and sentenced populations is rising. The remanded population increased by 10 and the sentenced population rose by 37.

Charts 2 and 6 show that the girls population is rising from 158 to 169 during. The number of girls in prison increased slightly from 50 to 53.

•  Localness

Chart 16 shows no change in the localness of placement, with 70% of young people continuing to be placed within 50 miles from home.

•  DTOs

Table 1 and charts 7, 8 and 9 show data in relation to DTOs. Table 1 shows the number of DTOs made per month, and the average length of the custodial part of the sentence, since April 2000 when the DTO was introduced. The product of the number and length is shown in the third column, which gives an indicative DTO population. For example, if in a given month, 500 DTOs were made of an average length of 4 months, it would indicate a population of 2000, if that pattern were to be sustained over time. The third column therefore shows the population of DTOs that would be indicated by each month's figures.

The number of DTOs made during January rose from 400 to 453. The average length of the custodial part of the DTO rose from 4.2 months to 4.3 months.

•  Remands

Chart 3 shows that the remand population is rising but the Chart 11 shows that the remand proportion stayed steady at 20.2%.

6. Progress Towards Corporate Target

Chart 20 shows the YJB's progress towards its corporate plan target in relation to the reduction of the custodial population.

The blue line at the top shows a steady state of custodial population which is derived from an average of the last four years. If all factors remained exactly the same one would expect the population to change seasonally in this way.

The red line shows the progress that is required to reach the Board's target of a reduction of 10% between October 2003 and March 2006.

The black line shows the movement of the ‘actual' population.

It can be seen that in the early months of 2004 the ‘actual' line jumped much higher than the target line. During the summer, between June and September, the actual line was reasonably close to the target line. October and November figures significantly exceeded the required progress. The December figure indicated a slight improvement towards the target line and this trend has been more or less maintained in January.

7 . Overall Picture

It would be unwise to infer too much from this month's figures because of the volatility of the population at this time of year. However, the relatively low increase in population provides a source of cautious optimism.

Jon Fayle

CC Marilyn Welsh

INDEX OF CHARTS AND TABLES

OVERALL TRENDS

Chart 1 Comparison of Under 18 Populations in Secure Facilities.

Chart 2 Under 18 Population in Secure Facilities by Gender.

Chart 3 Under 18 Population in Secure Facilities by Legal Status.

Chart 4 Under 18 Population in Secure Facilities by Type of Facility.

Chart 5 Under 18 Population in Non Prison Service Places.

Chart 6 Girls Under 18 in Secure Facilities.

DETENTION AND TRAINING ORDERS

Table 1 DTO Trends.

Chart 7 No. of DTOs Made per Month.

Chart 8 Average Length in Months of DTO Custody.

Chart 9 Indicative Population of DTOs.

Chart 10 DTO Early Release.

Table 2 DTO Early Release by YOI

REMANDS

Chart 11 Remand Population as Proportion of Total Population.

Chart 12 Remands to Secure Facilities Each Month.

Chart 13 Lengths of Remands Ending Each Month.

AGE

Table 3 Age Profile of Juvenile Secure Population

Chart 14 Chart of Age Profile.

Chart 15 Prison Service Population – Under 18s and Over 18s.

DISTANCE FROM HOME

Chart 16 Distance from Home Analysis 2000 - 2004.

Table 4 Regional Distance from Home Analysis.

COMPARATIVE PRISON POPULATIONS

Chart 17 Comparison of Different Parts of Male Population from October 2002.

Chart 18 Comparison of Girls with all Female Population from October 2002.

ISSP

Chart 19 ISSP Programme Build Up.

CORPORATE TARGET

Chart 20 Progress Towards Target