Justice Committee Chair comment on prison capacity
22 May 2024
Chair of the Justice Committee, Sir Bob Neill KC said:
“Prisons are simply running out of space. My committee has long since warned of the dangers of successive Governments ignoring the rise in jail numbers, set against a workforce recruitment and retention crisis and a crumbling Victorian prison estate.
“Ministers and society must be prepared to invest in prison capacity and proper rehabilitation programmes as the current situation is unsustainable - reflected in the reports we have seen this week on arrest guidance and the activation of Operation Early Dawn.
“The Lord Chancellor previously set out plans for an annual statement on prison capacity and this still hasn’t happened. Prisons can’t weather this perfect storm for much longer and a cross-party prioritisation of prisons and sentencing policy is urgently needed.”
Further information
Image: House of Commons