Dr Nasrul Ismail, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Bristol, is a leading expert and researcher on prisons. Talking about the government’s plans to open 14,000 more prison places, and whether this still won’t be enough to meet demand over the next few years, he said: “Building more prisons are both financially unsustainable and ineffective approaches to alleviating the overcrowding issue that has persisted for over three decades.
“Discussions on overcrowding must account for restrictive sentencing practices. Current sentencing guidelines often compel judges to impose custodial sentences, even when alternatives may be more appropriate.
“Moreover, the probation system, weakened by austerity, lacks the capacity to support large-scale prisoner releases, exacerbating strain on prisons.
“Discussions on prison expansion must consider the continual recruitment and retention challenges faced by prison officers. These shortages stem from austerity-driven workforce reductions in 2012 and continue to undermine prison safety and operations. Despite a 2% improvement in recruitment reported by HMPPS, over 3,000 officers had left the service by late 2024, with 34% departing within their first year.
“Rather than expanding prison capacity, the government should reduce its reliance on prisons and adopt alternative sentencing by using community sanctions for non-violent offenders, divert individuals with acute mental health or substance-use issues to treatment facilities, invest in community resources to ensure availability of alternatives to imprisonment, and prioritise early intervention programmes to reduce imprisonment.”
