Prison Capacity

Dan Carden (Liverpool Walton) (Lab) and Andrew Ranger (Wrexham) (Lab) asked the Secretary of State for Justice, Shabana Mahmood, what steps her department is taking to increase prison capacity. In her response, the Secretary of State acknowledged the legacy of the previous government, which had left the prison system on the brink of collapse. She explained that around 1,700 offenders had to be released a few weeks or months early by changing their automatic release point from 50% to 40% of their sentence, as the alternative would have been courts unable to hold trials, police unable to make arrests, and a total breakdown of law and order. However, she stressed that this was not a long-term solution, and that more needed to be done. Dan Carden followed up, suggesting that treating more offenders with drug and alcohol addictions outside the prison estate could help reduce pressure on prison numbers and reoffending rates. He encouraged the Secretary of State to consider the recommendations of Dame Carol Black's internal review on the treatment and recovery of drug-dependent people in the secure estate. The Secretary of State agreed that good quality rehabilitation work to address drug and alcohol issues was critical, but noted that this was currently impossible in prisons that were more than 99% full, with prisoners locked up for 23 hours a day. She stated that the first step was to address capacity, after which they could build on expert recommendations to reduce reoffending. Andrew Ranger then asked what steps the Secretary of State was taking to ensure that those released today under the early release scheme would have accommodation on release, including in his constituency of Wrexham. The Secretary of State responded that they were working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to understand the impact on the housing sector, and that probation staff were working to prepare release plans, including permanent and temporary accommodation. She stated that if an offender was at risk of homelessness, they would be housed in community accommodation, and that alternative arrangements, including budget hotels, would be used as a temporary measure if necessary.