April 23, 2010: Prison Population Hits Record High
The prison population in England and Wales has today hit an all-time high. With a rise of almost 200 prisoners in the last week, there are now more than 85,000 prisoners for the first time ever.
There is a grand total of 85,076 people behind bars, of whom 4319 are women. The overall total compares with same week last year, when there was a total of of 82,773 people in prison.
As the Howard League for Penal Reform points out, in the last twelve months the prison population has increased by almost 3%t. The increased number of prisoners may reflect the policy decision by the outgoing Labour government to close the scheme for early release prior to the general election campaign. This has been interpreted by some as a populist gesture.
Howard League Director Frances Crook commented:
“While our politicians continue to set an agenda for public spending cuts after the election, if not adding much to the detail of what will be cut where, our prison population continues its unchecked expansion. Having almost doubled since the mid-1990s, a new all time record of 85,076 people in prison has been hit with no end to further record highs in sight.
“This ceaseless growth in prison numbers is untenable and any new administration will have to bite the bullet and find a strategic way to reduce the prison population. Recent reoffending statistics show that 36.8% reoffended on community sentences in 2008, compared to over 61% for those sentenced to a year or less in prison. Not only are community sentences more effective at reducing crime but they come at a fraction of the price, with a community order costing on average £2-3,000 a year compared to at least £41,000 a year to run a prison place.
“We call on the leaders of all the political parties to set out their policies in relation to the prisons crisis and how they intend to deal with our overcrowded and failing prison system.”