PRT comment: NAO report on prison capacity

Commenting on the findings of ‘Increasing the capacity of the prison estate to meet demand’ published by the NAO today (4 December), Pia Sinha, chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, said:

“This damning report lays bare the negligence of previous governments and their approach to penal policy. This has left taxpayers facing an eyewatering £4.2bn bill with no certainty on when the ongoing prison capacity crisis will end.

“Politicians have been dishonest with the public — promising to lock people up for longer but failing to provide the prison places necessary or being upfront about the costs of doing so. This cannot continue. The findings of this report should give impetus to the government’s sentencing review to bring forward bold proposals to place our use of imprisonment on a more sustainable and proportionate footing.”