More prisoners will be free to roam the streets
Discussion
..due to Labour incompetence.
The prisons are currently at full capacity
The Home Office said the situation was being monitored closely and confirmed it was considering new plans to extend its early release scheme.
Under the plans, criminals sentenced to four years in prison could be released after 18 months. A two-year sentence would mean just six months spent in prison
BBC Article below
Calls for early prisoner release
The Home Office predicts there will be 90,000 prisoners by 2010
Prison governors are calling for inmates to be released early and electronically tagged to ease severe jail overcrowding in England and Wales.
It has emerged some prisoners are being held in police cells because of a lack of jail space after inmate numbers reached a record 77,600.
The Prison Governors Association insisted tagging offenders worked.
The Home Office said there was still prison space but it would look at its options if numbers increased further.
Tagging works in that it gets people back in to the society which inevitably they are going to have to return to
Charles Bushell
General secretary of the Prison Governors Association
BBC Home Affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said around 60 police cells had been used to hold prisoners on Tuesday night and 100 on Monday.
And the Times reported that overcrowding meant 174 prisoners in London and the West Midlands had to be accommodated outside jails while transfer arrangements were made.
'Good record'
Charles Bushell, general secretary of the Prison Governors Association, said the housing of prisoners in police cells in emergencies was nothing new.
With no new jails planned, ministers could not build their way out of the problem, he said.
Ministers had known for at least 18 months that prison populations were at or near capacity, he said, adding that numbers had grown significantly since May and particularly in the last two months.
He said: "Tagging works in that it gets people back in to the society which inevitably they are going to have to return to and it does so in a way that constrains them - particularly in the evenings when they might be out causing trouble."
The Prison Service had quite a good record on electronic tagging, he added, with 90% of the 3,200 prisoners out on tags getting through their sentence.
The Home Office said the situation was being monitored closely and confirmed it was considering new plans to extend its early release scheme.
Under the plans, criminals sentenced to four years in prison could be released after 18 months. A two-year sentence would mean just six months spent in prison.
Currently non-violent offenders are released halfway through their sentence if they behave well.
Other plans to build further accommodation and a wider use of "tough" community sentences were also being considered, a Home Office spokesman said.
But he stressed that there was still capacity in the system and that no decisions had been taken.
Shadow home secretary David Davis said the current situation was the result of "very, very bad planning on the part of the government" as the overcrowding problem had been obvious for the past two years.
'Knee-jerk'
He warned rehabilitation programmes were being undermined, that criminals would not be punished properly and that the public's protection would suffer.
Although the government could not "immediately build out" of the problem, a prison building programme should be instigated, he said.
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten dubbed any plans to release early because of overcrowding a "knee-jerk approach".
"Prisoners should be tagged if it is in the best interest of rehabilitation, not because there is an overcrowding problem," he said.
But the plans were supported by Juliet Lyon from the Prison Reform Trust, who said prisoners living in the community were more likely to get work and face up to their crimes.
"As long as that tagging is accompanied by good quality supervision it's a pretty good solution."
Chancellor Gordon Brown said investment in prisons was set to increase and argued they had been funded properly.
The prisons are currently at full capacity
The Home Office said the situation was being monitored closely and confirmed it was considering new plans to extend its early release scheme.
Under the plans, criminals sentenced to four years in prison could be released after 18 months. A two-year sentence would mean just six months spent in prison
BBC Article below
Calls for early prisoner release
The Home Office predicts there will be 90,000 prisoners by 2010
Prison governors are calling for inmates to be released early and electronically tagged to ease severe jail overcrowding in England and Wales.
It has emerged some prisoners are being held in police cells because of a lack of jail space after inmate numbers reached a record 77,600.
The Prison Governors Association insisted tagging offenders worked.
The Home Office said there was still prison space but it would look at its options if numbers increased further.
Tagging works in that it gets people back in to the society which inevitably they are going to have to return to
Charles Bushell
General secretary of the Prison Governors Association
BBC Home Affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said around 60 police cells had been used to hold prisoners on Tuesday night and 100 on Monday.
And the Times reported that overcrowding meant 174 prisoners in London and the West Midlands had to be accommodated outside jails while transfer arrangements were made.
'Good record'
Charles Bushell, general secretary of the Prison Governors Association, said the housing of prisoners in police cells in emergencies was nothing new.
With no new jails planned, ministers could not build their way out of the problem, he said.
Ministers had known for at least 18 months that prison populations were at or near capacity, he said, adding that numbers had grown significantly since May and particularly in the last two months.
He said: "Tagging works in that it gets people back in to the society which inevitably they are going to have to return to and it does so in a way that constrains them - particularly in the evenings when they might be out causing trouble."
The Prison Service had quite a good record on electronic tagging, he added, with 90% of the 3,200 prisoners out on tags getting through their sentence.
The Home Office said the situation was being monitored closely and confirmed it was considering new plans to extend its early release scheme.
Under the plans, criminals sentenced to four years in prison could be released after 18 months. A two-year sentence would mean just six months spent in prison.
Currently non-violent offenders are released halfway through their sentence if they behave well.
Other plans to build further accommodation and a wider use of "tough" community sentences were also being considered, a Home Office spokesman said.
But he stressed that there was still capacity in the system and that no decisions had been taken.
Shadow home secretary David Davis said the current situation was the result of "very, very bad planning on the part of the government" as the overcrowding problem had been obvious for the past two years.
'Knee-jerk'
He warned rehabilitation programmes were being undermined, that criminals would not be punished properly and that the public's protection would suffer.
Although the government could not "immediately build out" of the problem, a prison building programme should be instigated, he said.
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten dubbed any plans to release early because of overcrowding a "knee-jerk approach".
"Prisoners should be tagged if it is in the best interest of rehabilitation, not because there is an overcrowding problem," he said.
But the plans were supported by Juliet Lyon from the Prison Reform Trust, who said prisoners living in the community were more likely to get work and face up to their crimes.
"As long as that tagging is accompanied by good quality supervision it's a pretty good solution."
Chancellor Gordon Brown said investment in prisons was set to increase and argued they had been funded properly.
If they stop sending people to prison for very minor offences like for example - a senior citizen refusing to pay a greatly increased council tax with no descernable improvement in services. Then there will be room for the ones that deserve to be there.
That or tag anyone who gets a less than 12month sentance.
Or maybe.....
build some new ones, or is that too much of a radical idea for the government to comprehend. After all the population is increasing, they need to build new housing, new schools and new hospitals, prisons should follow on. HAS NO ONE IS GOVERNMENT EVER PLAYED SIM CITY? 
That or tag anyone who gets a less than 12month sentance.
Or maybe.....
build some new ones, or is that too much of a radical idea for the government to comprehend. After all the population is increasing, they need to build new housing, new schools and new hospitals, prisons should follow on. HAS NO ONE IS GOVERNMENT EVER PLAYED SIM CITY? FourWheelDrift said:
Or maybe.....
That is what needs to be done, it is very out of favour however with the 'establishment' who would prefer violent criminals serve only a small sentence (if that) before being let lose on the public again.
Once the green filth have eliminated the car (and jailing its more enthusiastic expeonents is part of the strategy) The disgusting political trash will then simply have ghettos of mediocrity with no escape for anyone. Surely this is the master plan. It is Stalinism taken to its logical if rather pathetic conclusion.
Surely now is the time to seek and destroy?
Surely now is the time to seek and destroy?
baskey said:
Punishment should fit the crime. some drunk fool headbutts you he should be sent down for a long time. someone diddles their tax they should have a massive fine. an old person doesn't pay up they shouldn't get their hip replaced (joking if there are any leftists reading)...
but what happens? headbutter gets to do some strimming. the creative accountant gets 12 months and bu66er all fine and the old biddy goes to nick as well...
baskey said:
but what happens? headbutter gets to do some strimming. the creative accountant gets 12 months and bu66er all fine and the old biddy goes to nick as well...
Thats because in this skewed society we live in financial crimes against the establishment or any form of dissent from the masses is deemed to be a far greater crime than physical violence against the innocent.
The public need protection from creative accountants and old biddys
F
cking pathetic isn't it!Gassing Station | The Pie & Piston Archive | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff