The prison population in England and Wales has reached a record high, just days before the government’s temporary early release scheme comes into effect.
According to figures released by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) on Friday, the number of prisoners has risen by 1,159 since August 2, the week when the UK riots began, and now stands at 88,521, the highest level on record.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the BBC he was “appalled” by the state of the prison system when asked about the BBC’s insider report. HMP Pentonville in north London.
“We have to release people early because if we don’t we will have an absolute crisis in the prison,” he said.
As of Friday, there were only 1,098 places left in the prison system in England and Wales – 1.2% of the places available.
The government’s temporary early release scheme will see around 3,000 prisoners in England and Wales released early from prison on 10 September.
Sir Keir said he did not want to release people who should be jailed, but said the situation was at “crisis point”.
The policy will not apply to those convicted of sex crimes, terrorism, domestic abuse and some violent crimes.
The prime minister said risk assessments would ensure high-risk prisoners would not be released, with a risk threshold “keeping the victims in mind”.
As part of this plan, HMP Pentonville have released 16 people next week. At the time of the BBC’s visit, the prison was close to capacity and only nine beds were free.
Built in 1842, the men’s prison was originally designed to hold 520 men in single cells. Currently, with two prisoners per cell, the operational capacity is 1,205.
The prime minister blamed the previous government for not building enough prisons, which it had promised. He admitted it was “very difficult” to find a place in prison disorder in England and northern Ireland in late July and early August, which has so far resulted in 863 charges against rioters.
Home Affairs Minister Dame Angela Eagle said on Friday that the MoJ was “considering everything” to “alleviate the problem” of overcrowding.
Speaking to the broadcaster, Dame Angela said: “The last government closed a lot of prisons and didn’t replace them.
“What we can’t have is someone convicted of a violent or serious crime who can’t go to jail.”
Former chief inspector of prisons Nick Hardwick told the BBC’s Today program the early release policy would “remove immediate pressure”.
“I don’t think the government has any alternative in the short term but to do the release,” he said.
“But it’s like squeezing a balloon – you release the pressure in one place but the bulge goes to another – and the real problem now, first of all, some of those released will again offend for certain, and some of those released, many of those released, I’m afraid will be homeless because there is no accommodation for them.
After reports that ministers were considering renting prison cells outside the UK to deal with the overcrowding problem, Downing Street said on Friday there were “no plans or announcements” about sending prisoners to serve sentences in Estonia.
The idea was announced by the Estonian government with Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood when she met with her counterpart, Liisa Pakosta, in Lithuania earlier this week.
However, a British government spokesman said: “In the report, I will point out that this was the policy of the former government and that this government has not made any plans or announcements regarding Estonia.”
The government declined to comment on the private conversation between Mahmood and Pakosta at a recent European Council meeting he attended.
It said it would publish a 10-year strategy in the autumn to set out “how we will ensure we always have the places we need to keep dangerous offenders”.
In July, Ms Mahmood announced plans to reduce the proportion of sentences inmates must serve from 50% to 40%.
He said overcrowding had pushed prisons to “breaking point”.
