The UK government has unveiled plans to construct four new prisons by 2031 in a bid to tackle the growing overcrowding crisis that earlier this year led to the early release of hundreds of inmates.
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood outlined a 10-year strategy aimed at ensuring sufficient capacity for “dangerous offenders” amid a surge in the prison population across England and Wales.
The initiative includes creating 14,000 additional prison spaces over the next seven years, with 6,500 of those spaces coming from the newly planned facilities. This effort is part of a broader project launched by a previous administration to add 20,000 prison places. However, the estimated cost of this program has now skyrocketed to £10.1 billion, nearly double the original projection.
To accelerate construction, Mahmood announced that prisons would be designated as sites of “national importance.” Despite these plans, she acknowledged that the measures might not fully resolve the issue.
“We will build, but the harsh reality is that we can’t construct prisons fast enough to meet the rising demand,” she told Times Radio, emphasizing the urgency of the situation.
Mahmood criticized the previous Conservative government, accusing them of delivering less than a third of the promised 20,000 spaces. “They claimed they could extend sentences without adequately expanding prison capacity, leaving the system in a precarious state,” she said.
As of this week, official figures show 86,089 inmates in facilities designed for a maximum of 88,822. In July, shortly after assuming her role, Mahmood introduced emergency measures to release some prisoners early to avert a system-wide breakdown.
While expressing her intent to avoid similar actions in the future, she hinted at other operational strategies, such as increasing the use of house arrest, to stabilize the system. “We must explore every option to prevent another crisis like this,” Mahmood told Sky News.
The announcement highlights the urgent need for long-term solutions to the mounting pressures on the UK’s prison system.
