Record high prison population
The Ministry of Justice today announced a new record number of people held in prisons in England and Wales.
Read the response of Geoff Dobson, Deputy Director Prison Reform Trust, here.
Commenting today on the new record high prison population and Ministry of Justice contingency plans, Geoff Dobson, deputy director, Prison Reform Trust, said:
“The rapid increase in prison numbers means that sections of our prison estate are becoming human warehouses, doing little more than banging people up in overcrowded conditions, with regimes that are hard pressed to offer any employment or education. The likelihood is that for some first time offenders this will provide a fast track to a criminal career. While those who have committed serious offences should expect a custodial sentence, for those convicted of less serious offences there ought to be scope for a restorative approach, which gives priority to the needs of victims, facing offenders with the harm they have done and requiring them to repair the damage caused.”
