Prisons will still function under plans to turn laundries into cells – minister
Justice Secretary Alex Norris said hundreds of urgently-needed places would be created by converting storerooms and offices.
Justice Secretary Alex Norris said hundreds of urgently-needed places would be created by converting storerooms and offices.
The Justice Secretary has insisted prisons will “still function properly” amid concerns over Government plans to turn laundries into cells in a bid to tackle overcrowding.
Alex Norris said “hundreds of places” would be created by converting existing spaces inside prisons into accommodation.
The Biggest Prison Building Programme Since the Victorians — But Will It Be Enough?
The government is building prisons at a pace not seen since the Victorian era. Ministers have described the ambition as delivering 14,000 additional prison places by 2031, with around 2,900 already completed. It is a significant and expensive commitment — an acknowledgment that the prison estate of England and Wales is so far below what the system requires that only a major capital investment programme can close the gap.
But the context in which this building programme sits is one of the most challenging in the recent history of English criminal justice. The previous government committed to 20,000 new prison places by the mid-2020s. By September 2024, approximately 6,500 had been delivered — less than a third of the target, years late, and 80 per cent over the original budget projection. The current programme is running against the backdrop of that failure, and the question of whether 14,000 places by 2031 is sufficient — let alone achievable — is one that penal reformers, academics, and parliamentary committees have pressed government to answer clearly.
Alex Norris said “hundreds of places” would be created by converting existing spaces inside prisons into accommodation.
The Biggest Prison Building Programme Since the Victorians — But Will It Be Enough?
The government is building prisons at a pace not seen since the Victorian era. Ministers have described the ambition as delivering 14,000 additional prison places by 2031, with around 2,900 already completed. It is a significant and expensive commitment — an acknowledgment that the prison estate of England and Wales is so far below what the system requires that only a major capital investment programme can close the gap.
But the context in which this building programme sits is one of the most challenging in the recent history of English criminal justice. The previous government committed to 20,000 new prison places by the mid-2020s. By September 2024, approximately 6,500 had been delivered — less than a third of the target, years late, and 80 per cent over the original budget projection. The current programme is running against the backdrop of that failure, and the question of whether 14,000 places by 2031 is sufficient — let alone achievable — is one that penal reformers, academics, and parliamentary committees have pressed government to answer clearly.
2 comments:
Maybe stop importing criminals and get rid of those already here. That might free up some space and reduce the need for the future.
Oh, I forgot, our sovereign government can't do that because......
Mike - no they can't do that, it might work so well that too many voters notice.
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