Emergency measures to tackle prison capacity crisis announced

Commenting on today’s announcement by the Lord Chancellor outlining emergency measures to free up prison places, Pia Sinha, chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, said:

“In this moment of crisis for the prisons system, the incoming government has had the good sense to listen to the advice of its officials and introduce further emergency measures to prevent dangerous levels of overcrowding and the criminal justice system literally grinding to a halt. Reducing the automatic release point for prisoners serving determinate sentences is the most straightforward and comprehensive way to reduce demand to give our prisons vital breathing space.

“To prevent the prison crisis becoming a probation crisis, it will be vital that sufficient resource and support is provided to the probation service to ensure it is able to cope with supervising an increased number of people on licence in the community.”