Labour announces plans to fix the prisons crisis and keep criminals behind bars
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Labour will fix the prisons crisis by driving through prisons
building programme where the Conservatives have been too weak to
act, the Shadow Justice Secretary has vowed today. Outlining plans
to relieve prison pressure, Shabana Mahmood has pledged to unblock
the planning process to stop the “powder keg waiting to explode”
behind bars. The Conservatives promised to create 20,000
additional prison places, but ten Justice Secretaries in ten
chaotic years have...Request free trial
Labour will fix the prisons crisis by driving through prisons building programme where the Conservatives have been too weak to act, the Shadow Justice Secretary has vowed today. Outlining plans to relieve prison pressure, Shabana Mahmood has pledged to unblock the planning process to stop the “powder keg waiting to explode” behind bars. The Conservatives promised to create 20,000 additional prison places, but ten Justice Secretaries in ten chaotic years have failed to deliver, with just 6,000 being built. This failure has left jails bursting at the seams with criminals - including domestic abusers, one of which who was described as "a risk to children" - now being released up to 70 days early, creating a potential risk to the public. As part of plans to make Britain's streets safer, a Labour government will:
The Conservative chaos in our prison estate has had serious consequences across the justice system and created a potential risk to public protection. Inaction and mismanagement from the Tory government has led to police being instructed to arrest fewer criminals and deliberately delay court hearings to stem the flow into prisons, alongside releasing criminals early. One such prisoner released early was described as a “risk to children”. Last week, reports seeped out that prisons could overflow in a matter of weeks. Labour has said it will take the decisions necessary to break the planning lock on prisons. By designating jails ‘of national importance', placing the power to approve a planning decision solely in ministers' hands, to ensure the most dangerous offenders are locked up. At the same time, Labour has promised to address rising rates of reoffending, another major driver behind the capacity crisis. The Tories have turned prisons into breeding grounds for crime which are creating ever more hardened criminals. Some 80 per cent of those entering prison for the first time today have a previous offence or caution, at a cost of an astonishing £18bn to the taxpayer. Should they form the next government, Labour has announced that it will bring together prison governors and local employers to create Employment Councils. These will create and support links into the local community, which can provide training and jobs to support offenders both within and outside prison. Shabana Mahmood, Labour's Shadow Justice Secretary, said: “The crisis in our prisons is a powder keg waiting to explode. Worse still, we never had to get to this point. “The dangerous overcrowding of our prisons was foreseeable and avoidable, but this government has not had the will or courage to act. "A Labour government will turn the page on 14 years of Conservative chaos and confront the difficult decisions that this government has dodged. We will build the prison places they promised but never delivered and we will drive down reoffending. I am determined to fix the prisons crisis for the long term, not just push back disaster by another day, week or month.” Ends Notes:
The Secretary of State has the power to decide planning applications where it's agreed that a Crown development project – such as a jail - is “of national importance”. We'll use these powers for prisons when needed, to ensure we can keep the public safe. The Government promised to build 20,000 new prison places by next year, but they have delivered only 6,000. End of Custody Supervised Licence: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2024-05-08/debates/E7D50ECB-6DE4-4EB9-B361-73D99C4BE899/EndOfCustodySupervisedLicenceExtensio 80% of those currently receiving cautions or convictions have offended before. Victims and Prisoners Bill - Hansard - UK Parliament Reoffending costs society and the economy £18.1 billion each year. Over half of this (£10 billion) is the direct costs to individuals and services due to a crime taking place. Improving the prison estate - Improving the prison estate - Public Accounts Committee - House of Commons (parliament.uk) England and Wales have the highest per capita prison population in Western Europe. As of 31st May 2024 , 87,177 people were imprisoned, in an estate with a maximum capacity of 88,914. Prison population growth: drivers, implications and policy considerations - POST (parliament.uk) In May the Inspectorate published a report of HMP Lewes and exposed details of the Government's Early Release Scheme. HMP Lewes – HM Inspectorate of Prisons (justiceinspectorates.gov.uk)
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