HMP Millsike: hundreds of cells will remain empty despite prison overcrowding crisis

The Justice Secretary Alex Norris has revealed plans to turn laundries and other existing spaces in jails into cells to create more space for inmates.

He insisted to BBC Breakfast: “Of course we’re going to make sure that the prisons can still function properly.”

He claimed the Government will speed up the building of hundreds of extra prison places with £110m of investment.

And alongside the cash, which has been fast-tracked from existing budgets, the Government will transform existing areas, such as shared-use areas and offices, to house inmates.

Despite this pressure on places, HMP Millsike near York will continue to slowly ramp up to full capacity with hundreds of cells remaining empty.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “We are working at pace to bring every available prison place online - and have always been clear new prisons require a ramp-up period, so they remain safe, secure and protect the public.”

The UK’s newest “super prison” on the edge of the East Riding of Yorkshire, opened in March last year to a cost of £400m.

When fully operational it will hold 1,468 prisoners, however at the moment it is restricted to a capacity of 1,158.

The latest Ministry of Justice figures for July show that the prison held 1,124 inmates, 344 below the total it will hold when it eventually reaches full capacity.

It is normal for prisons to slowly increase prisoner numbers after opening, although experts say this usually takes between six months and a year.

The MoJ said that the prison will increase to full capacity when operationally appropriate to do so.

Ian Carson, the Prison Officers’ Association area representative for Yorkshire and the North East, told the LDRS: “Given HMP Millsike has been open since March 2025, prison officers cannot believe their ‘ramp up period’ has been allowed to take this long.

“Many prison officers are commenting on why, given the pressure on prison space when Millsike was at the design stage, this was allowed.”

The prison - run by private contractor Mitie - has had a bumpy start since opening in March 2025.

HMP Millsike’s director Samantha Pariser stood down in February, less than a year in post, over a series of controversial inspections.

Volunteers appointed to monitor conditions at the prison had said they only felt safe to visit in pairs.

They also highlighted poor security, with doors and gates left open, rampant drug use and “frequent reports of batons being drawn”.

The Independent Monitoring Board at HMP Millsike wrote to then-Prisons Minister Lord Timpson in December to raise concerns over the “safety and security” of the site.

Mr Carson said the prison’s close proximity to the publicly-run HMP Sutton meant that it was struggling to recruit staff, as the older prison was a more appealing offer.

The Government said that there were a range of factors that were being considered when increasing HMP Millsike’s operational capacity, including staffing, safety and the stability of the prison.

This comes as Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced that the killers of Thames Valley Police officer Andrew Harper will not be eligible for early release, following a backlash.

Mr Burnham initially resisted calls to limit the scheme further after it emerged that Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, who were convicted of Pc Harper’s manslaughter in 2020, would be eligible from next year.

But under fresh changes announced on Sunday, anyone convicted of unlawful killing – including all forms of manslaughter and death by dangerous driving – will be excluded from the next round of early releases, which begins in October.

The MoJ spokesperson added: “This government inherited a prison capacity crisis after places increased by just 500 in 14 years.

“We’re pulling every lever possible to fix this, building 14,000 new places with 3,200 already delivered.”