UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned the previous Conservative government for allowing prison overcrowding in England and Wales to reach what he describes as “shocking” levels.
Starmer called the situation “worse than I thought it was” and labeled the Conservatives’ handling of it as “reckless.”
These comments come as the current government prepares to announce plans for the early release of some prisoners this Friday.
Reports indicate that non-violent offenders could be released after serving 40% of their sentences, a change from the current policy of releasing prisoners after they have served half their time.
Former Justice Secretary Alex Chalk has emphasised the need for a debate on how many individuals the government can realistically afford to incarcerate.
Last week, the Prison Governors’ Association, representing 95% of prison governors in England and Wales, warned that jails were on the brink of running out of space.
Starmer, who has been vocal about prison reform during his election campaign, admitted he was “pretty shocked” at the severity of the situation.
He suggested that a Labour government might also have to continue early release measures to manage overcrowding.
In an interview with The Today Podcast, Chalk, who served as justice secretary until the Conservative party lost the recent general election, acknowledged that releasing prisoners early might provide only temporary relief, estimating it would buy the government “18 months.”
He advised new Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood to be “very frank and credible about the long term.”
Chalk questioned the financial feasibility of addressing the issue through prison construction alone, pointing out the high costs involved.
“If the situation is that we haven’t got new money, are you seriously going to be saying that instead of building a new hospital, we’re going to be building a new nick at the cost of £600,000 per cell?” he asked.
Earlier this year, Chalk had announced plans to release prisoners up to two months early to alleviate overcrowding. The Ministry of Justice is currently building six new prisons to create an additional 20,000 spaces.
Labour has yet to outline its full strategy for addressing the issue, but Starmer’s appointment of James Timpson as prisons minister hints at a shift in approach.
Timpson, the head of the shoe repair chain known for hiring ex-offenders, has previously criticised the UK’s reliance on incarceration, suggesting in a Channel 4 interview that only a third of current prisoners should be behind bars.
Starmer, speaking to reporters on a flight to the US for a NATO summit, expressed his shock at the state of the prison system.
“Some of what we’ve found is shocking, not so much about the finances, but I have to say, on prisons. The situation is worse than I thought it was. I’m pretty shocked that it’s been allowed to get into that situation. It’s reckless to allow them to get into that place,” he said.
The government’s forthcoming announcement on prisoner release is expected to provide some immediate relief to the overcrowded prison system, but long-term solutions remain a pressing challenge.
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