Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Prison Estate

Tuesday 12 September 2023 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Minister announced plans to build 20000 new prison places to improve conditions and public safety.
  • Investment of 168 million in custodial maintenance for 2023-25 is planned to upgrade existing prisons.
  • Justice Committee proposes an inquiry into future prison population and estate capacity due to current overcrowding.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Lyn Brown Lab
Justice & Courts
Context

The MP raised concerns about the aging infrastructure of prisons and their conditions, citing reports indicating draughtiness, dampness, overcrowding, and staff shortages.

Question

What recent assessment has been made regarding the adequacy of the prison estate for housing prisoners? The current state of our prisons is problematic with many built before modern materials like RAAC were available. Inspections reveal numerous issues such as draughtiness, dampness, overcrowding, and understaffing. This affects communities where at least 37% of released prisoners reoffend within 18 months.

Answer from Damian Hinds

We are building 20,000 modern prison places to help rehabilitate prisoners, cut crime and protect the public. We continue to invest in prison maintenance so that existing places remain in use and safe.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The MP asked for a recent assessment of the adequacy of the prison estate but received information on future plans instead of an actual evaluation of current conditions.

How: Future Plans

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Q2 Lyn Brown Lab
Justice & Courts
Context

The MP highlighted the dire state of prison infrastructure, noting that many prisons are overcrowded and understaffed. Reports indicate high reoffending rates among released prisoners.

Question

The Minister's answer is interesting because our prisons have been run down for 13 years. Many were built before RAAC was a twinkle in somebody's bank account. Inspection reports list numerous woes including draughtiness, dampness, overcrowding, and understaffing. This is hardly conducive to rehabilitation when at least 37% of released prisoners reoffend within 18 months.

Answer from Damian Hinds

We continue to upgrade the prison estate. We are investing in 20,000 new places—the biggest expansion since the Victorian era—and taking out some overcrowded prisons. For 2023-24 and 2024-25, £168 million is being invested in custodial maintenance.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The MP asked about specific measures to address current issues but received information on future plans instead of addressing the immediate problems highlighted.

How: Future Plans

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Q3 Bob Neill Con
Justice & Courts
Context

The Justice Committee is considering an inquiry into prison population and estate capacity due to concerns about overall overcrowding. Projections indicate a shortfall of about 2,300 places in March 2025.

Question

The Justice Committee proposes an inquiry into future prison population and estate capacity, prompted by concerns that adult male prisons are 23% overcrowded with worse conditions in local prisons. Even if new building programmes complete on time, there would be a shortfall of about 2,300 places in March 2025. What will be done to address this? Should we have conversations about reasonable prison expectations?

Answer from Damian Hinds

We must constantly debate these matters intelligently and constructively. Projections change, and many complex factors affect capacity. Since 2010, crowding has reduced by 2,000 places overall.

Not addressed: The MP asked about specific measures to address projected overcrowding but received a vague call for ongoing discussion without concrete actions.

How: Ongoing Debate

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