Getty ImagesThe government is to create more cells in existing prisons in England and Wales as part of its plans to tackle overcrowding.
An investment of £110m, which will come from existing budgets, will be used to convert unused office space, laundry rooms and storage space into cells, the Ministry of Justice said.
Justice Secretary Alex Norris is also due to give more details in the Commons later on changes to the early release scheme, which aims to free up space in prisons as they near maximum capacity.
He told the BBC prisoners being released early did not mean “freedom” and victims would have a say in restrictions placed on those criminals.
“This is a creative look, as I say, around our estate and being able to use some space that we can re-prioritise.”
Norris said he suspected the number of extra prison spaces created from freeing up existing space within prisons would be “landing somewhere in the middle” of 200 and 900.
But Chairman of the Prison Officers’ Association, Mark Fairhurst, said: “You can create as much additional space as you like, and build as many new prisons as you like, but where are the staff coming from to supervise people? Nobody wants to be a prison officer anymore.”
Norris said the government had delivered more than 3,200 prison places in two years.
Investment on more prison spaces was announced in last year’s spending review and the £110m is not new money, A £7bn capital investment plan to create 14,000 prison places by 2031.
On the early release scheme for prisoners in England and Wales, Norris said victims were being sent letters informing them and offered support from victim liaison officers.
He insisted offenders would face restrictions on their release, including tagging and bans on attending football games.
Victims’ Commissioner Claire Waxman said victims wanted to know how these early releases would affect them, especially those who had faced domestic abuse or stalking.
Plans for the early release scheme have been changed after concern about who would be freed. Rapists, those found guilty of serious child sex offences and grooming offences were excluded.
Then at the weekend Prime Minister Andy Burnham told BBC Breakfast anyone convicted of manslaughter would also now be excluded, following a campaign from PC Andrew Harper’s family to block the release of two men convicted over his killing in 2019.
Burnham said this would mean hundreds more prisoners staying in jail and extra prison space would be created by deporting foreign prisoners and releasing some inmates serving indefinite sentences.
Among those no longer eligible for early release is Shane Kelk, who was jailed after a hit-and-run crash which left 20-year-old Amy Cooper dead.
Amy’s mother Amanda originally received letters telling her Kelk could be released early.
She said the prospect made her feel “sick” and that it would have “devalued” her daughter’s life.
The block was a “massive relief”, she said, adding that she was still “upset and angry” that she and other families had “been put through a period of uncertainty”.
Prisons in England and Wales are running at 97% capacity.
Under the early release scheme some 4,500 prisoners are now expected to start being let out of prison in tranches from October.
Government figures show there were 10,134 foreign nationals held in custody on 30 June, 3,283 of whom were on remand and would not be eligible for deportation.
In the year to June, 5,962 foreign offenders were sent back to their home countries which is the highest rate of deportations since 2017, a 12% increase on the previous year.
Plans to release prisoners still serving indefinite sentences under Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) have been criticised by the Conservatives, who say this in itself poses a risk of dangerous prisoners being released.
IPPs have not been imposed since 2012 but there are still prisoners in jail in England and Wales who were given them.
They were used where prisoners were considered to pose a significant risk of causing serious harm to the public. Once they had served a minimum term they could only be released if the Parole Board was satisfied they no longer posed a risk to the public.
But ending indefinite sentences for those still serving them would require new legislation, meaning it could be years before space is freed up.
On Monday shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy told BBC Breakfast: “These people on IPP sentences inside prison are by definition dangerous because their cases have been looked at by the parole board and they’ve decided it’s not safe to release them into the general public.”
An extra £18.9m investment into services for victims will also be announced to Parliament, including specialist emotional and practical support.
This money will come from existing budgets and will be on top of the £550m already announced by government for this support.
The MoJ also announced it had signed a contract to start building a new jail in Lancashire for 1,700 hundred inmates.
Additional reporting by Dominic Casciani, home and legal affairs correspondent and Guy Lambert
