Justice Committee to take evidence on the Government’s response to prison population pressures
The Justice Committee will hold an evidence session with academics and stakeholders, including Professor Nick Hardwick, former HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, as part of its current inquiry into the future prison population and estate capacity.
Meeting details
There are no activities to show
Likely areas of questioning
MPs on the cross-party committee will take evidence on the pressures facing the prison estate, including overcrowding, the deteriorating condition of old prison buildings and the lack of staff to safely manage and rehabilitate offenders. Discussion will focus on the Government’s approach, including reforms announced in October by the Lord Chancellor, plus plans to rent prison capacity abroad.
Panel One will comprise: Professor Nick Hardwick, Professor of Criminal Justice at the School of Law, Royal Holloway University of London; Rob Allen, Independent Researcher and Consultant on criminal justice and prisons and Richard Garside, Director, Centre for Crime and Justice Studies.
Panel Two will include: Sam Julius, Head of Influence and Communications, Clinks; Pia Sinha, CEO, Prison Reform Trust and Sonya Ruparel, Chief Executive, Women in Prison.
The Justice Committee’s inquiry is examining the projected changes to the size and composition of the prison population, the implications of this and the deliverability of the Government’s current prison expansion programme. It is also examining the efficacy of the Government’s strategy to safely manage the prison population.
In response to the acute increase in the adult male estate last October, the Government activated Operation Safeguard, sanctioning the temporary use of up to 400 police cells to hold people overnight when there is insufficient space. This year, the Government also started rolling out Rapid Deployment Cells to manage the demand for prison places. Should the Government deliver its planned capacity projects on time, there will still potentially be a shortfall of 2,300 prison places against projected demand by March 2025.