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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.
MARK FAIRHURST highlights the main issues facing officers in a long neglected service, and raised by front-line delegates at POA conference last week, including understaffing, violence, bullying and the ongoing denial of workers’ right to strike
The announcement of a Women’s Justice Board should be cautiously welcomed, writes SABINA PRICE, but we need to see a recognition that our prison system is in crisis and disproportionately punishes some of the most vulnerable people in society