PRT comment: Plans for up to 14,000 new prison places

Commenting on the today’s announcement (11 December) that the government plans to build up to 14,000 new prison places by 2031, Pia Sinha, chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, said:

“Last week the National Audit Office confirmed that just 6,000 of the previous government’s commitment of 20,000 new prison places had been delivered. Today’s announcement provides some clarity on how the government intends to deliver the outstanding 14,000 prison places, with more investment and a relaxation of planning laws. The government’s commitment to an annual statement on prison capacity is welcome and should help to improve transparency and accountability for matching capacity and demand.

“England and Wales has one of the highest rates of imprisonment in western Europe — second only to Scotland — and history shows that when we build more prisons, we fill them. That is why the current sentencing review is vital to bringing our use of imprisonment down to a more proportionate and sustainable level. With the prison population projected to rise from 86,000 today to up to 105,200 by March 2029, some investment was always going to be needed to avert dangerous levels of overcrowding and a deterioration of conditions in prisons.”