Can the Ministry of Justice carry on without our failing prison system seizing up altogether? Today we learned that Magistrates are being urged by the Chief Judge not to send convicted offenders to prison until room can be made for them in prison cells.
After the riots last month, there are only a few hundred jail cells left for male adults nationally. Police custody cells that housed hundreds of arrested rioters are being used by ‘Operation Safeguard’ to deal with prison overspill. Under Operation ‘Early Dawn’, court hearings are being delayed until jail space becomes available.
Bail conditions could be more draconian than being locked up in a prison where it’s easier to get Ketamine than a working kettle
Even so, these desperate measures are obviously not enough. We are still weeks away from September 10th – when the government has pledged to release thousands of prisoners early to ease prison overcrowding.
Some of us can still remember the main purposes of prison – retribution, public protection and rehabilitation.
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