Prisons shake-up

Commenting on today’s government announcement on prison building and closures, Juliet Lyon, Director of the Prison Reform Trust, said:
 

“Closing small local prisons and replacing them with supersized jails will not reduce crime or make communities safer. You can and should modernise the prison system without throwing taxpayers’ money down the prison-building drain. The millions secured for new-build prisons could be more effectively spent on robust community service, treatment for addicts and care for people who are mentally ill.
 
“There are enough prison places currently to hold the comparatively small number of serious and violent offenders who need to be behind bars. The prison population fell by over 3,000 in the past 12 months when rates of crime also dropped by nearly 10%.
 
“Smaller prisons tend to be safer and more effective than larger establishments, holding people closer to home and with a higher ratio of prison staff to prisoners.
 
“Prison ought to be an important place of last resort in our justice system, not a giant market place for private bidders or economic regeneration schemes.”