![[Logo] The Howard League for Penal Reform](fileadmin/howard_league/template/resources/logo.gif "The Howard League for Penal Reform"){kind=logo}
Campaign to end prison overcrowding
There are currently over 80,000 men, women and children in prison in England and Wales, The prison population has been rising steadily since 1993, increasing from 42,000 to today's unprecedented levels. This means that there are now a higher percentage of people in prison here than in any other country in western Europe.
To see the week by week breakdown of the prison overcrowding figures, along with related commentary, click here
The impact of overcrowding
- Overcrowding means that over 12,000 prisoners are being held two to a cell designed for one. Many of these cells have unscreened toilets which fail to provide even the most basic of human dignity.
- In a desperate attempt to find empty beds, prisoners are being transported all over the country. In 2001, 37,000 prisoners were being held over 50 miles away from home, for 5,000 of these the distance was more than 150 miles. This cost the taxpayer millions of pounds in transportation costs and in delays to the criminal justice system as a result of late arrivals for court appearances. It also jeopardises family relationships and the chances of successful re-integration back into the community on release; tow of the most important factors in reducing re-offending.
- The huge prison population is undermining any good work the prison service is trying to do in terms of making the prison experience constructive for the majority prisoners. In 2001-2 the prison service failed to meet its own target of providing prisoners with at least 24 hours of purposeful activity for week. Only 3 out of 40 of the male local prisons (those holding predominantly remand and short sentence prisoners) which suffer the worst overcrowding, managed to meet this target.
- Prisons cost £2.2bn a year. With re-offending rates after release still at about 60% (and over 75% for young offenders) prison is an expensive failure, which has no impact on crime levels or the fear of crime.
The Howard League online