Following concerns that sentences for criminals who have been convicted could be delayed due to overcrowding, the Government is under increased scrutiny regarding the condition of prisons.
Delays are apparently in store for defendants guilty of some of the most heinous offences, such as rape, to keep down prison populations, therefore anyone on bail is either released into the community or is being kept in cells in magistrates’ courts.
Lord Justice Edis, the senior presiding judge for England and Wales, reportedly advised courts to temporarily postpone sentencing hearings for some convicted criminals who are currently on bail beginning on Monday, according to The Times.
Health secretary Steve Barclay refused to confirm or refute the accusations in an interview with ITV News yesterday (October 12), but did acknowledge that the jail system is under pressure.
“The Government doesn’t comment on leaks and, of course, sentencing is a matter for the judiciary, which is broadly independent in terms of how it determines sentencing decisions.
“What we are clear of on the Government is our commitment to building more prison places,” he said.
But how big is the UK’s prison population and what is causing it to become overcrowded?
How big is the UK’s prison population?
According to the Ministry of Justice’s most recent statistics, there are currently 88,016 people imprisoned in England and Wales, up more than 6,000 from this time last year, when there were 81,423.
This is already a huge increase from the end of June, when the overall number of prisoners was 85,851, which was already the highest number since November 2017.
Are prisons in the UK overcrowded?
According to data The Independent revealed last week, prison overcrowding is at an all-time high.
Most prisons are extremely overcrowded; some, like Wandsworth, where terror suspect Daniel Khalife is alleged to have escaped from, hold 70 per cent more detainees than they legally should.
There are just 651 spare jail beds left given that there are 88,667 accessible cells. According to government predictions, prison populations could top 106,300 by March 2027.
What is causing the overcrowding in prisons in the UK?
Mr Barclay said in a statement to ITV that “Covid delayed jury trials, which in turn has had more people on remand creating pressure on the prison system.”
A spokesperson added to this statement by blaming the barristers’ strike, stating that it has added to the unprecented growth, with 6,000 more prisoners on remand than pre-pandemic.
Which are the most overcrowded prisons in the world?
According to data-gathering company Statista, the Republic of Congo has the highest jail occupancy rate as of September 2023, with a level of around 616.9 per cent.
This is followed by Haiti at 454.4 per cent. Earlier this year, AP News reported on the conditions in which inmates live due to lack of space. According to the UN, 185 prisoners died in Haiti last year, mainly from illnesses linked to malnutrition.
Uganda (367.4 per cent), Philippines (362 per cent), and Cambodia (345.9 per cent) are also on the list.
