FROM PRISON REFORM TRUST.
STOP PRESS
New Bromley Briefing Prison Factfile launched today
The Autumn 2013 edition of the Bromley Briefing Prison Factfile reveals that nearly half of people in prison in England and Wales could be warehoused in 1,000-plus supersized jails under government plans to transform the prison estate.
Headlines from PRT’s flagship publication include:
• Government plans could see close to one in two people behind bars held in prisons of 1,000-plus
• 2000-place prison in Wrexham planned with prospect of second giant sized establishment in London
• 40 % of prisoners are currently held in prisons of 1,000 places or more
• Ten years ago 18% of prisoners were held in prisons of 1,000 plus
• The number of supersized jails has nearly trebled in the past decade with 28 out of 124 prisons in England and Wales currently holding over 1,000 men
• Largest supersized jails are all in the private sector. G4S-run Oakwood (1,600) Birmingham (1,436) and Sodexo-led Forest Bank (1,348)
• Evidence from the HM Inspectorate of Prisons shows that larger prisons are less safe with fewer opportunities for rehabilitation
• Previously David Cameron has said that “the idea that big is beautiful with prisons is wrong.”
The pressure of budget cuts and economies of scale have led to the roll out of “Titan prisons by stealth” with a drive to close small community prisons, build larger jails and add additional capacity to existing establishments.
This is despite evidence published by the Prison Reform Trust and included in the briefing, based on data provided by HM Prisons Inspectorate, showing that smaller prisons tend to be safer and more effective than larger establishments, holding people closer to home and with a higher ratio of prison staff to prisoners.
The government plans to build a 2,000-place prison in Wrexham and is conducting a feasibility study for a second giant-sized institution in West London. Since 2010 there have been 13 closures of smaller prisons and a further six still to come.
In January the Justice Minister Jeremy Wright announced plans to open up an additional 1,260 places in four new house blocks across the prison estate.
On current trends the proposed changes will result in around 38,000 people held in 30 supersized jails across the country, the Prison Reform Trust’s analysis of the latest prison population statistics and projections reveals. This represents nearly half of the total number of people behind bars in England in Wales.
Read more about the facts and figures revealed by the latest edition of the Bromley Briefing Prison Factfile here. Early coverage in the media includes ITV News, LBC and local BBC radio, Evening Standard, Huffington Post and Belfast Telegraph.
