Government invests £110m to speed up prison building
Justice Secretary Alex Norris to announce plans for new cells and a 1,700-place prison in Lancashire.
Incident → evidence → outcomeThe government is set to accelerate the construction of hundreds of new prison places through an £110 million investment. Justice Secretary Alex Norris is expected to announce the plans on Tuesday, detailing measures to tackle overcrowding within the prison estate. This funding has been fast-tracked from existing budgets.
Converting Existing Spaces and New Facilities
Alongside the financial investment, the government is also converting unused spaces within existing prisons into new cells. Mr Norris stated that the government is committed to fixing the prison system and has already delivered over 3,200 places in the past two years. He added that the new investment aims to expedite construction and increase capacity to detain dangerous criminals.
Ministers have also signed a contract for a new prison in Lancashire, which will provide an additional 1,700 places. This development is part of a broader strategy to increase the number of available prison spaces.
Early Release and Sentence Changes
The announcement comes as the government prepares to introduce an early release scheme to alleviate pressure on jails. Approximately 5,000 prisoners were initially slated for early release from October, a figure reduced after interventions to exempt rapists and serious child sex offenders. The killers of Thames Valley police officer Andrew Harper will not be eligible for this early release, following public and political pressure.
Legislation will also be introduced by the end of the current Parliament to free certain offenders serving indefinite jail sentences, which were abolished in 2012. However, changes related to Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences may take years to implement and will not be part of the immediate measures to ease overcrowding.
Thames Valley’s chief constable Jason Hogg expressed concerns about the additional workload for police forces in tagging and monitoring prisoners granted early release. He warned that without additional funding, resources would need to be diverted from other areas of policing to manage this increased demand.
Questions this report answers
01How much is the government investing in new prison places?
The government is investing £110 million to accelerate the building of new prison places. This funding is intended to speed up construction and increase the overall capacity of the prison estate.
02What is being done to create more prison cells?
Additional prison cells are being created through the construction of new facilities, including a 1,700-place prison in Lancashire. Unused spaces within existing prisons are also being converted into new cells.
03Will the killers of PC Andrew Harper be released early?
No, the killers of Thames Valley police officer Andrew Harper will not be eligible for early release. This decision follows public and political pressure to ensure they serve their full sentences.
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