Labour to send fewer criminals to jail in prison-building programme

Labour will rely on sending fewer criminals to jail to meet a shortfall in its prison-building programme.

The timescale for 14,000 extra jail spaces, to be outlined by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) today, says they will have a ‘target to open by 2031’.

It would bring the total number of spaces in England and Wales to just under 103,000.

But forecasts published last week said the jail population will hit 100,800 in March 2029.

It is understood there will be a shortfall of 5,400 jail spaces by November 2027 - less than three years from now.

It remains unclear when the 14,000 spaces - a combination of four new prisons and additional houseblocks in existing jails - will be complete.

The shortfall will be met by Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s sentencing review, which she has said will lead to wider use of community punishments for criminals - including house arrest.

The minister has indicated she wants to extend use of technology such as electronic tags to create ‘robust community alternatives to prison’ for non-dangerous offenders.

If the Government changes the law, as expected, to imprison fewer criminals then the number of new jail spaces required will fall.

The MoJ is allocating only £2.3billion to the jail-building programme in today’s announcement - even though the total cost is due to be £10billion.

Labour is taking forward plans set in place by the Tories for the four new jails, including HMP Millsike in York, which will hold 1,500 and is due to open next year.

A further 6,400 places will be built in new blocks on current sites, there will be 1,000 ‘rapid deployment cells’ - a type of secure portable building - and more than 1,000 existing cells will be refurbished.

Labour has already released thousands of inmates early to free up cell space.

There were sickening scenes of criminals celebrating Labour’s scheme, launched in September, with some being picked up in luxury cars and sprayed with champagne.

One proclaimed ‘Big up Keir Starmer’ as he posed with a £150,000 Bentley.

A Labour spokesman accused the Conservatives of ‘gross negligence’ for failing to build enough jail spaces when they were in power.

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Ahead of publishing her 10-year prisons strategy today, Ms Mahmood said: ‘The last Government pretended they could send people away for longer and longer without building the prisons they promised.

‘This strategy reveals that their prison building plans were years delayed and nearly £5billion over budget. They left our prisons in crisis, on the edge of collapse.

‘Part of our plan for change, this capacity strategy, alongside an independent review of sentencing policy, will keep our streets safe and ensure no government runs out of prison places again.’

Last week, the Government gave the go-ahead for a new prison next to HMP Garth in Lancashire, which will have 1,700 places.