Fixing prison overcrowding may not be a vote-winner in the cost of living crisis but we’ll count the cost if we don’t
Darren Nicholas Assistant director of Criminal Justice at social justice charity Cranstoun
OPINION
A recent edition of The Big Issue covered the concern of overcrowding in prisons. The issue is sadly not new, with many prisoners serving sentences in inhumane conditions. Security issues partially caused by overcrowding were also brought to the forefront last year, after a prisoner escaped HMP Wandsworth under a delivery van. Projections from the Ministry of Justice estimate that in two years’ time the prison population will be a third higher than the 78,058 counted in 2021. Twenty thousand new prison places are only set to be delivered by 2030, at a construction cost of £4 billion.
Prison overcrowding may not seem a palatable vote-winner in a cost of living crisis, but the situation is at breaking point and a functioning criminal justice system is essential to keep communities safe. Aside from capacity and living conditions in prisons in the UK, they are expensive to run. According to the most recent figures, the cost per prisoner each year to the taxpayer stands at £46,696 – well above the average UK salary. Given over half of people who serve sentences of less than 12 months reoffend within a year of release, prisons are also ineffective in rehabilitating those imprisoned for lower-level crimes.
Once someone has been incarcerated, it is exceedingly difficult to rebuild their life on release. Many struggle for employment, adequate housing and support after serving their sentence. The consequence of this lack of support is a revolving door of crime, prison, and more victims.
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