MANY convicts should not be in jail, the Prisoner Officers’ Association (POA) said today after figures showed the prison population has reached a new record high.

POA general secretary Steve Gillan said prisons should be reserved to “protect the public from violence and serious crimes.”

He called for “proper interventions so that people do not come to prison who shouldn’t actually need to be there, such as the mentally ill and indeed petty offenders.”

Official figures showed there were 88,521 people behind bars on Friday, 171 more than the previous record set at the end of last week.

Far-right rioters being remanded in custody or jailed are thought to be behind the sharp rise revealed less than a week before the government’s temporary early release scheme is due to come into effect on September 10.

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced plans to cut the proportion of sentences inmates must serve behind bars from 50  to 40 per cent as the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said overcrowding had pushed jails to the “point of collapse” in July.

Prison Reform Trust chief executive Pia Sinha added: “With yet another new record prison population in England and Wales set this week, every single space matters, and so plans to release some people earlier than expected are the least worst option available to the government.

“But with the prison population predicted to climb as high as 114,800 by March 2028, these measures will only relieve pressures in the short term.

“Ministers will quickly need to turn to longer term measures to reduce demand on our prisons. 

“Thankfully we already know the solutions to avert a similar crisis in future — prioritise the things that work to reduce reoffending and address the drivers of crime.

“This means investment to support people out of homelessness; increasing access to community mental health support and treatment for addiction; and supporting people into work.”

Downing Street denied reports today that ministers are considering renting jail cells in Estonia to ease overcrowding.