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Government plans on prison crisis ‘insufficient to meet future demands,’ watchdog warns
Cornton Vale Prison in Stirling, Scotland

PLANS to boost prison capacity could fall short by thousands of cell spaces and cost taxpayers billions more than anticipated, Whitehall’s spending watchdog has warned.

The National Audit Office (NAO) said the government’s current expansion plans are “insufficient to meet future demand.”

The overcrowding crisis stems from the previous Conservative government’s failure to ensure longer jail sentences and increased police numbers aligned with available prison space, according to its report published today.

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Britain / 30 July 2025
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