A RAPID increase in the number of people being recalled to prison poses a significant headache for ministers seeking to avoid running out of places, the Prison Reform Trust warned today.

A briefing by the group compiled the latest data on prisons and their populations, showing that the rise of recalls following release is particularly affecting those serving sentences of less than 12 months.

In the year to last September, there were nearly 32,500 admissions to prison following a recall — a 27 per cent increase on the previous year.