"Crisis" hits overstretched prison system
Britain's prison capacity is at bursting point
Friday, 22, Feb 2008 12:00
The prison system faces a "genuine crisis", the Conservative say, as the government admits prison numbers breach capacity.
Latest figures show the prison population has exceeded normal capacity for the first time, reaching a record high of 82,068.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) says going beyond its "useable operational capacity" does not mean the prison estate is completely full.
But it is being forced to use beds in different types of cells, like female, juvenile and male, than those for which they are originally intended.
"We are making maximum use of all cells that we wouldn’t normally be able to use," a spokesperson said.
"In addition, a limited number of court cells have been made available as a measure of last resort to help ensure that exceptional population pressures can be managed safely and securely."
Justice minister Jack Straw called on magistrates to make better use of non-custodial sentences in an interview with the Guardian newspaper published today.
He said these "have a better record in terms of preventing reoffending than short prison sentences", but the Tories blamed "sheer incompetence" from the government for the current problem.
Shadow justice secretary Nick Herbert said Mr Straw's department had "ignored" repeated warnings and failed to increase capacity.
"This government's catastrophic mismanagement of prisons cannot continue, he commented.
"In place of panic measures it is time for a new approach to break the cycle of re-offending and re-build confidence in the penal system."
Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson David Heath said ministers had been forced to listen to his party's support for non-custodial sentences only after having "packed our prisons to bursting point".
"Instead of releasing dangerous prisoners early to ease overcrowding, there should be a renewed focus on community sentences for prisoners who pose no risk which are demanding, rigorously enforced and visible," he said.