Written question asked by Paul Flynn (Labour) on Wednesday, 8 January 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 20 January 2003. It was answered by Hilary Benn (Labour) on Monday, 20 January 2003 on behalf of the Home Office.

Home Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of female prisoners are mothers to children aged under 10 years. - Including figures.

Answer: Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of female prisoners are mothers to children aged under 10 years. [90272] Hilary Benn: There is no routinely collected data on the proportion of female prisoners who have dependent children, irrespective of age group. However, a Home Office study of a large sample of imprisoned women and mothers, published in 1997, found that 60 per cent. of female prisoners, sentenced and unsentenced, had dependent children under the age of 18. (There were no research findings relating specifically to children under 10). Another smaller, but more recent, study of women prisoners and their work in custody, published in 2000, found broadly similar results (out of a sample of 567 sentenced women, 66 per cent. had dependent children under the age of 18).

Secondary information