There are only 100 spaces left in men’s prisons in England and Wales, according to reports.
The system, already in the midst of an overcrowding crisis, is normally under greater pressure after a bank holiday weekend, which eases when courts reopen. While courts can sit on a bank holiday Monday, prisoners are unable to be released until Tuesday.
Magistrates were told on Friday to delay jailing criminals as the number of people in prison hit a new weekly high.
The prison population then stood at 88,234, the highest end of week number since weekly data was first published in 2011. There is considerable concern among justice figures about what could happen over the coming weeks before prisoners are freed early, the PA news agency reported.
Speaking on Tuesday, Keir Starmer said: “I can’t tell you how shocked I was when I discovered the full extent of what [the Conservatives have] done with our prisons, and it’s going to take time to fix it.
“I can’t build a prison by Saturday. We will fix it, we’ve already taken the measures that are necessary to make sure we can get through the disorder.”
Plans are in place to release some inmates early to relieve overcrowding, in addition to emergency measures in the north of England to allow prisoners to be held in police cells.
Earlier this month, the Ministry of Justice said more than 500 places will be made available in the coming weeks. A spokesperson said: “The new government inherited a justice system in crisis and has been forced into taking difficult but necessary action to ensure we can keep locking up dangerous criminals and protect the public.
“Staff across the whole criminal justice system are working incredibly hard and the government will continue to support them before the changes come into effect on September 10.”
Last month, the justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, announced plans to cut the proportion of the sentence inmates must serve behind bars from 50% to 40%. The temporary measure – which does not apply to those convicted of sex offences, terrorism, domestic abuse or some violent offences – is expected to result in 5,500 offenders being released in September and October.
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