A national charity that campaigns for less crime, safer communities and fewer people in prison, has released details today of the true scale of over-crowding in prisons in England and Wales.
The figures obtained by the Howard League for Penal Reform revealed that approximately 20,000 prisoners were kept in overcrowded cells last year with the three former Isle of Wight prisons, Camp Hill, Parkhurst and Albany, all reporting over-crowding.
Overcrowding at Island prisons
The figures show that, during the financial year 2012-13, about 19,140 prisoners on average were forced to share a cell designed for one person.
It was revealed that the Camp Hill site had 254 inmates sharing a cell that was designed for one person, the Parkhurst site had 141 inmates sharing a cell that was designed for one person, and the Albany site had 11 sharing.
HMP Isle of Wight
As readers will remember, Camp Hill prison has now closed and Albany and Parkhurst are now referred to as HMP Isle of Wight.
Crook: “Far worse than anyone imagined”
Frances Crook, Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said:
“At last, we have the picture of the real state of overcrowding in our prisons. It’s far worse than anyone imagined: one in four people behind bars are packed like sardines into cramped cells.
“It should come as little surprise that such crowded conditions leave staff hugely overstretched, especially as more are being laid off. This means there are little to no opportunities for prisoners to work, learn or take courses to turn them away from crime.
“Staff cuts and overcrowding mean that grown men spend all weekend and up to 22 hours a day during the week cooped up like battery chickens – no wonder violence and self-injury is rife.
“If the Ministry of Justice is serious about reducing reoffending it must tackle overcrowding now. Successive governments have peddled the lie that you can build your way out of a prisons overcrowding problem.
“While public services are being cut, ministers should look at more effective and affordable solutions. They need to address the fact the prison population has doubled in just 20 years and move people on to community sentences.
“Government assessments published last month show that every probation service in the country is working efficiently at keeping the public safe, whilst failing prisons contribute to the crime problem.
“We can have the prisons that taxpayers deserve – ones that turn lives around rather than coop people up and make them more dangerous – but only if numbers are seriously reduced.”
