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Many convicts should not be in jail, POA chief says as prison population hits new record high
HMP Barlinnie
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.”
A Number 10 spokeswoman declined to comment on any private conversations between the Justice Secretary and her Estonian counterpart but pointed out “this was the policy of the former government and that this government has made no such plans or announcements with regard to Estonia.”
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