To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the findings of the June 2019 report by the Prison Reform Trust, Prison: the facts, what steps his Department is taking to (a) tackle overcrowding and (b) improve conditions in prisons.
Answered on
27 June 2019
Reducing crowding is a central aim of our modernisation of the prison estate. Our plan for reducing prison crowding is to replace prisons that are operating over their certified normal accommodation levels with new accommodation that is safe, decent, and uncrowded and close current (crowded or partially crowded) capacity. The first steps in this direction have already been taken with the opening of 2,100 uncrowded prison places at HMP/YOI Berwyn and 206 uncrowded places in a new houseblock at HMP Stocken. Additionally, we are constructing modern prisons at the former HMP Wellingborough and HMP Glen Parva sites, which are due to open in 2021 and 2023 respectively.
We invested an additional £31m in the last financial year to improve conditions in some of the prisons with the most pressing issues. With this funding we delivered refurbishments of nearly 1,000 cells, over 100 shower blocks and 14 food serveries at a number of prisons including HMPs Liverpool, Bristol, Wandsworth and Wormwood Scrubs, as well as essential fire safety work.
There is also ongoing refurbishment work to improve the condition of cells, showers and communal areas at a number of prisons, along with several projects to enhance fire safety.