Prisons: Overcrowding
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what immediate steps she is taking to tackle prison overcrowding while awaiting the conclusions of the 2025 Prison Capacity Review.
Answered by Sir Nicholas Dakin
The Review into the Handling of Prison Capacity will report its findings in spring 2025, and we will carefully consider any recommendations to help future governments to avoid the cycle of repeated prison capacity crises.
We are aiming to deliver 14,000 additional prison places by 2031 as set out in the 10-Year Capacity Strategy published in December. This consists of the construction of four new prisons, as well as the expansion and refurbishment of the existing estate and temporary accommodation.
The Lord Chancellor announced a series of measures in October 2024 to manage the pressures on the prison estate until longer term reforms come into effect. This includes reforming our recall practices to target the unsustainable growth in the recall population since the pandemic and an extension of the maximum period offenders can spend on Home Detention Curfew from 6-12 months.
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