Prison capacity crisis: PAC to question Govt officials on future strategy
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) holds an evidence session on prison estate capacity on Monday 27 January at 3.30pm.
Meeting details
The National Audit Office, in a December 2024 report, found that prison capacity is in crisis. Between October 2022 and August 2024, the adult male estate was practically full, with between 98%-99.7% of cells occupied. Prisoners are subject to increased crowding, restricted regimes, and have fewer opportunities for rehabilitative activities.
This has led HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) to resort to the early release of some prisoners, which increases risk to the public. HMPPS has also rented police cells under its emergency ‘Operation Safeguard’ plans. The average daily cost per police cell between February 2023 and September 2024 was £688, nearly five times the average daily cost for a prison place of £142.
The Government had committed to build 20,000 new prison places by the mid-2020s. By September 2024, just 6,518 places had been built. The new places are now expected to be completed five years later than planned, and at an increased cost of at least £4.2bn. The Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) forecasts show that prisons could be full again by early 2026, with a shortfall of over 5,400 places by the end of 2027.
The PAC will challenge senior MoJ and HMPPS officials on how a future shortfall of prison places will be addressed, with other likely topics including the current picture on progress in expanding the prison estate, and the impact of demand management measures on prisoners, staff and the public.