December 6, 2007: Carter Report And New 'Titan' Prisons

The government will build three "Titan jails" to address prison overcrowding. Each Titan prisons will hold 2,500 prisoners. This may have similarities to the American model of 'warehousing' prisoners. At the present time, HMP Wandsworth holds the most prisoners (over1,460) prisoners in an English prison, and is one of the largest prisons in Western Europe.

In early June 2007, the government asked Lord Carter to undertake a review into the prison system. The Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Jack Straw, today made a statement to the House of Commons on the publication of Lord Carter's prisons review. He noted that the government have agreed additional funding of £1.2 billion on top of the £1.5 billion already committed, to deliver a further and extended prison building programme that will bring an additional 10,500 places on stream by 2014. Jack Straw said:

"Prison is, and will remain, the right place for the most serious offenders. Custodial sentences, and therefore prison places, must also be available for less serious offenders when other measures have failed or are inappropriate. And we must have in place a rigorous and effective framework of community penalties where they are the right course."

"The measures I have announced today will bring many more prison places on stream with agreed funding and a delivery programme. They will allow for a rational debate on sentencing, which recognises that as with any other public service, resources are finite. And above all they will fulfil our commitment to provide a modernised prison system which protects the public from the most serious offenders."

He announced:

• £1.2 billion of additional funding on top of £1.5 billion already committed, to deliver a further and extended building programme that will bring an additional 10,500 places on stream by 2014.
• Up to three large 'Titan' prisons are to be built, each housing around 2,500 prisoners.
• A modernising, 'new-for-old' strategy to build out inefficiencies. Smaller and older prison sites could be closed, or reconfigured to accommodate female or juvenile offenders.
• Smaller and older prison sites could be closed, or reconfigured to accommodate female or juvenile offenders.
• The building and modernisation programme is aimed to bring capacity to just over 96,000 places by 2014.
• Intended conversion of the former MoD site at Coltishall in Norfolk into a Category C prison.
• Intended conversion of open side of HMP Wealstun into a closed prison.
• The Ministry of Justice is actively looking at securing a prison ship.
• Any sentence for a serious offence effectively below a two-year tariff would be open to appeal on grounds of undue leniency

On sentencing, he announced:

• To ensure Indeterminate Sentences for Public Protection (IPPs) are focused on the most serious and dangerous offenders, amendments will be introduced to the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill to introduce a minimum tariff of two years below which IPPs and extended sentences cannot be given. It is rare for rape to receive less than two years tariff. Any sentence for a serious offence effectively below a two-year tariff would be open to appeal on grounds of undue leniency.
• Release mechanisms for offenders sentenced under the 1991 Criminal Justice Act will be aligned with those sentenced under the 2003 Act. This means offenders sentenced for non-sexual, non-violent offences committed before April 2005 are now eligible for release at the halfway point of their sentence and remain on licence to the end of sentence, rather than being eligible for parole at the halfway point, automatic release at two-thirds, and licence to three-quarters only.
• A working group will be established to consider the advantages, disadvantages and feasibility of a Sentencing Commission

The full Carter Report is now available for download.