MPs Warn That Prisons Will Reach Maximum Capacity by 2026
Prisoner fights and assaults on prison staff in England and Wales increased by 14 percent and 19 percent, respectively, in the year leading up to September 2024.
A report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) revealed that a plan to create 20,000 additional prison places by the mid-2020s was deemed “completely unrealistic.”
Thousands of spaces are now expected to be delivered five years late at an extra cost of £4.2 billion, an 80 percent increase on original estimates.
Between October 2022 and August 2024, the adult male prison estate operated at occupancy rates between 98 and 99.7 percent, with a quarter of prisoners now doubled up in cells meant for one person.
PAC Chairman Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown stated, “Lives are being put increasingly at risk by the government’s historic failures to increase capacity. Despite recent emergency releases, the system still faces total gridlock in a matter of months.”
Overcrowding
The report highlighted overcrowding as a major factor behind the rise in violence and self-harm incidents in the prisons.
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Fights between prisoners increased by 14 percent, while assaults on prison staff rose by 19 percent over the same period.
“Severely overcrowded prisons are at risk of becoming pressure cookers, sidelining vital rehabilitative work as staff focus on controlling unsafe environments.
“Many prisoners are living in inhumane conditions with their health needs overlooked,” Clifton-Brown expressed.
The committee criticized the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) for failing to anticipate the magnitude of the problem.
Plans that relied on securing planning permission for new prisons in just 26 weeks were deemed unrealistic, and expected support from Treasury and Cabinet Office for rapid project delivery did not materialize.
As of September 2024, only one-third of the promised 20,000 additional places had been delivered, according to the NAO.
The increase is attributed to higher prosecution rates, tougher sentencing policies, and longer sentences for serious offenders.
Calls for Reform
Prison reform charities echoed concerns about the crisis.
Andrea Coomber, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, emphasized the government’s responsibility to ensure prisoners’ rehabilitation.
“But this is not happening because prisons are overwhelmed. It is no coincidence that violence and self-harm are at endemic levels,” she added.
She also urged ministers to reduce demand on the prison system and implement sentencing reforms.
Meanwhile, the PAC called on the MoJ and HMPPS to create realistic plans and explain how they will manage risks, especially delays in planning permission. They also called for a review of how overcrowding impacts self-harm, violence, education, and rehabilitation.
Government Response
Prisons and probation minister Lord Timpson defended the government’s approach, attributing the crisis to previous administrations.
“This report exposes the failures we inherited, which almost collapsed our prison system. This not only risked public safety but added billions in extra costs to taxpayers,” he stated.
The minister added that the government is currently working on a “plan for change,” which includes the creation of 14,000 new prison places by 2031.
Last week, the government announced a 700-place expansion of HMP Highpoint in Suffolk to become the UK’s largest public sector prison.
Labor has also pledged to review sentencing policies “so we never run out of space again.”
