Prisoner numbers pile on new pressure

There are 7,294 more people in the system than it is designed to hold, according to an analysis of figures by the Prison Reform Trust.

Although the growth has slowed in recent months, there were 77 out of 131 establishments with excess numbers on July 27, the group said.

The most overcrowded prison is HMP Kennet in Liverpool. Designed to hold 175 men, it now holds 337. Among the 10 most overcrowded are Northallerton, built for 146 men but holding 232, and Doncaster, which was designed for 743 but holding 1,142.

A spokesman said: “Figures for 2010-11 show that nearly a quarter of people in prison are being held in overcrowded accommodation, either doubling up in cells designed for one occupant or being held three to a cell in cells designed for two people.

“Overcrowding makes it much harder for staff to work intensively with offenders on re-settlement. Currently 47 per cent of adults re-offend within a year of leaving prison, rising to almost 57 per cent for those who had served a sentence of less than 12 months.”

Juliet Lyon, director of the trust, said: “Building our way out of the overcrowding problem is not the answer. The prison population can be safely reduced by curbing inflation in sentencing, calling a halt to any unnecessary use of custodial remand, dealing with addictions and investing in effective community penalties.

“Rather than falling back on short, ineffective spells behind bars, investment in more intensive community sentences and public health solutions would cut crime and save the taxpayer money.”

A Prison Service spokeswoman said: “All of our prisons provide acceptable levels of accommodation for prisoners, although some prisons hold more people than they were originally designed for.

“We are aiming to reduce the existence of crowding alongside reducing the cost of the prison estate.”