During the 2024 election, the Labour party have been vocal on their views about crime in the UK and the overcrowding in prisons across the nation. What does this mean going forward?
The overcrowding of prisons has been an ongoing issue that has increased over recent years due to events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, the Labour party created two major programmes in 2012; the ‘Core Capacity Program’ and the ‘New Prisons Programme’ in order to help tackle this problem. Recently, prisoners have been let out of jail early and held in police cells due to the lack of capacity in our prisons.
As of recent statistics, the UK prison population stands at over 80,000 inmates, with many facilities operating beyond their intended capacity. The designed capacity of these institutions, often referred to as the “operational capacity,” is being exceeded, resulting in cramped living conditions and overburdened staff. Some prisons are operating at 140% of their intended capacity, creating an environment that is not only challenging but also dangerous for both inmates and staff.
As a result, the Labour party have pledged to deliver 14,000 prison spaces and has announced plans to unblock the planning system to expand the prison estate and ease capacity by expanding current prisons and building new ones.
In addition, the party have proposed to bring together prison governors and local employers to create employment councils to decrease re-offending, linking offenders to training opportunities and jobs, and devoting more time to rehabilitation, to reduce the burden on the capacity long term.
