By John Ikani
Prisons are on the brink of exceeding their capacity, endangering public safety, the Prison Governors’ Association (PGA) has warned.
Representing the vast majority of prison governors in England and Wales, the PGA issued a letter on Tuesday stating that the “entire Criminal Justice System (CJS) stands on the precipice of failure.”
The union is urging policymakers to take immediate measures to address the acute shortage of prison space and the chronic underfunding of the prison system.
Without prompt action, prisons will reach full capacity within days, significantly increasing public safety risks, the PGA cautioned.
“As available spaces continue to dwindle away, prisons will be forced to close their gates to new prisoners, they will be full within a matter of days. Procrastination is not an option; this is happening now, and action is overdue.
Eventually, there will be nowhere for detained prisoners to go,” the PGA letter to political leaders said.
The association highlighted that the government’s End of Custody Supervised Licence Scheme (ECSL), which facilitates the early release of certain prisoners, has been exhausted in England and Wales.
This scheme, designed to alleviate overcrowding, allows selected inmates to be released up to 70 days before their sentence completion.
In June, Scotland also authorized early prisoner releases as a part of emergency measures to address a surge in the prison population.
“We do not believe there are any other temporary solutions available to delay the inevitable,” said the PGA.
It forewarned that UK streets will become less safe, compelling the police to make tough decisions about whom to arrest and detain. Meanwhile, the court backlog will continue to grow.
“People who would normally be imprisoned will be left on the streets until space becomes available, this is how bad the situation will become,” the letter said.
According to the latest Ministry of Justice (MoJ) statistics, prisons in England and Wales currently hold 87,395 inmates, with a usable capacity of 88,778. The MoJ anticipates the prison population to increase to between 94,600 and 114,800 by March 2028.
The government’s prison expansion initiative aims to add 20,000 new prison places by the mid-2020s.
Officials are also considering relocating prisoners to facilities in other countries, provided they meet British standards. This idea is part of the Criminal Justice Bill, which is currently progressing through Parliament.
The PGA attributes the current crisis to austerity measures, which have severely impacted the MoJ and the prison system.
Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor has noted issues such as insufficient funding, ageing infrastructure, and a transient prisoner population.
Mr. Taylor has criticized the ECSL, arguing it compromises safe release planning. However, the PGA insists that a legal change is necessary to routinely release prisoners after serving 40 percent of their sentences.
“Although not ideal, it will be far safer to release prisoners earlier from custody than to be in a position where the police and courts have nowhere to send even the most serious offenders. This will happen and the public will be put at increased risk,” the association said.
The PGA urged the incoming government, following the July 4 general election, to promptly address the prison capacity issue.
“The position we find ourselves in is not of our members making; successive governments have failed to ensure sufficient resourced space exists across the prison estate. This is shameful,” said the PGA.
It also stated that a properly functioning prison system should have no more than about 78,000 inmates.
The Conservative Party manifesto includes plans for four new prisons, aiming to complete the prison-building program by 2030.
Labour has committed to creating 20,000 prison places and designating prisons as “nationally important” to streamline the planning process for public safety reasons.
