Five prisons to close as falling crime rate leaves cells empty

9 years ago

Five prisons to close as falling crime rate leaves cells empty

More prisons will close in the next few years as the government looks to cut the cost of hundreds of empty cells, justice minister Ard van der Steur has told parliament. The downward trend in crime, which has fallen by an average of 0.9% in recent years, is expected to mean 3,000 prison cells and 300 youth detention places will be surplus to requirements in five years’ time. Van der Steur also said that judges were imposing shorter sentences, meaning criminals were spending less time on average in jail. After finalising plans to close 19 prisons last year, the justice ministry said there were no plans for further cuts, but Van der Steur said the empty cells were costing the state too much.

Van Der Steur Empty Cells

Prisons minister sticks to her guns, wants major new investment

2 months ago

Prisons minister sticks to her guns, wants major new investment

Prison

How did our prisons get so crowded and can the cell blockage be solved?

4 months ago

How did our prisons get so crowded and can the cell blockage be solved?

The Independent

Cell

UK prisons set to run out of space within seven years, says justice minister

4 months ago

UK prisons set to run out of space within seven years, says justice minister

The Independent

England

More criminals will be spared jail to cope with shortfall of 12,400 prison spaces: Offenders will live under house arrest and wear tags - with Labour's early release scheme set to continues for years

4 months, 1 week ago

More criminals will be spared jail to cope with shortfall of 12,400 prison spaces: Offenders will live under house arrest and wear tags - with Labour's early release scheme set to continues for years

England

Labour reveals 5,500 prisoners will be freed early amid overcrowding in jails

8 months, 3 weeks ago

Labour reveals 5,500 prisoners will be freed early amid overcrowding in jails

The Independent

Justice

‘Staggering’ government failures could see prisons running out of space in three years, warn MPs

4 years, 7 months ago

‘Staggering’ government failures could see prisons running out of space in three years, warn MPs

The Independent

Justice

Dutch prisons are closing because the country is so safe

7 years, 10 months ago

Dutch prisons are closing because the country is so safe

The Independent

Dutch

More prisons can be closed as empty cells increase

8 years, 9 months ago

More prisons can be closed as empty cells increase

Prison

More prisons can be closed as empty cells increase

8 years, 9 months ago

More prisons can be closed as empty cells increase

Prison

Five prisons to close as falling crime rate leaves cells empty

9 years ago

Five prisons to close as falling crime rate leaves cells empty

Van Der Steur

Prisons to layoff another 700 staff for lack of criminals

10 years, 6 months ago

Prisons to layoff another 700 staff for lack of criminals

Justice

Justice ministry considering closing 11 jails in major shake-up

12 years, 4 months ago

Justice ministry considering closing 11 jails in major shake-up

Prison

Discover Related

MPs narrowly back jail early release plan despite PVV, VVD

1 week, 6 days ago

MPs narrowly back jail early release plan despite PVV, VVD

MPs on Tuesday narrowly voted to maintain a plan allowing some categories of prisoner to be released two weeks early, due to a shortage of cell space. Junior justice minister …

Prison Pvv Vvd

Overzealous prison sentences are driving the justice system to the brink of collapse

2 weeks, 2 days ago

Overzealous prison sentences are driving the justice system to the brink of collapse

For every 100,000 people in England and Wales, an average of 134 people are locked up. With more than 87,000 inmates as of February 2025, our prisons are 98 per …

The Independent

England Wales Justice Prison

Prisons minister faces tough debate over early release plan

3 weeks, 5 days ago

Prisons minister faces tough debate over early release plan

Three out of four coalition parties are opposed to prisons minister Ingrid Coenradie’s plan to release some prisoners early from jail because of the shortage of cells. MPs have called …

Prison Minister Faces Pvv

Only around one in 200 criminals are sent to prison, new figures reveal - and some with 50 convictions have been spared prison 50,000 times since 2017

4 weeks, 2 days ago

Only around one in 200 criminals are sent to prison, new figures reveal - and some with 50 convictions have been spared prison 50,000 times since 2017

Only around one in 200 criminals are jailed, new figures from the Ministry of Justice reveal, with offenders with as many as 50 convictions being spared life behind bars. Only …

Crime Sent Jail Offenders

Jails could run out of space within months as Labour ministers wait for the 'uncertain' results of sentencing review, MPs warn

1 month ago

Jails could run out of space within months as Labour ministers wait for the 'uncertain' results of sentencing review, MPs warn

Jails could run out of space within months as ministers wait for the ‘uncertain’ results of a sentencing review, MPs have warned. It said the Ministry of Justice was pinning …

Justice Labour Review Pac

Put eight prisoners in a cell, far-right PVV tells its minister

Trending 1 month ago

Put eight prisoners in a cell, far-right PVV tells its minister

The far-right PVV has again refused to support its minister over plans to cope with the shortage of prison cells, instead calling for “eight men in a cell” who should …

Prison Minister Cell Van Dijk

DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Soft justice won't keep Britain safe

1 month ago

DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Soft justice won't keep Britain safe

The Left has never believed in tough sentencing, preferring to see criminals as victims of circumstance rather than the menace to society they really are. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood cut …

Justice Mail Comment

Do not go directly to jail: Hardened criminals are 'laughing at the law' after being handed short sentences or slaps on wrist amid Labour moves to slash the use of prisons

1 month ago

Do not go directly to jail: Hardened criminals are 'laughing at the law' after being handed short sentences or slaps on wrist amid Labour moves to slash the use of prisons

Labour's obsession with slashing the use of prison will lead to more persistent criminals getting away with soft punishments, it was warned last night. Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said …

Government Crime Justice Prison

Foreign prisoners are now costing British taxpayers a seven-figure sum every day, new figures reveal

1 month ago

Foreign prisoners are now costing British taxpayers a seven-figure sum every day, new figures reveal

Foreign prisoners are now costing British taxpayers more than £1million per day, official figures have shown. New data by the Ministry of Justice has revealed there are around 10,500 foreign …

Justice Prisoners Data British

Gov't working on early release to free up space in prisons, despite Wilders outrage

1 month, 1 week ago

Gov't working on early release to free up space in prisons, despite Wilders outrage

State Secretary Ingrid Coenradie is sticking to her plan to release prisoners up to 14 days early to create room in overcrowded prisons, sources close to the government told Hart …

NL Times

Cell Prisons Wilders Pvv

Coenradie submits plans for two extra prisons to ease shortage

1 month, 1 week ago

Coenradie submits plans for two extra prisons to ease shortage

Prisons minister Ingrid Coenradie has set out plans to build two new prisons with 120 beds each to deal with the shortage of cells. She clashed with party leader Geert …

Prison Coenradie

Dutch gov't planning to build two prisons next year to solve cell shortage: report

1 month, 1 week ago

Dutch gov't planning to build two prisons next year to solve cell shortage: report

The Dutch government plans to build two prisons next year to solve the current cell shortage, insiders told AD. In February, the PVV State Secretary announced that she might have …

NL Times

Prisons Coenradie Dutch Convicts

Prisons are the problem, not the solution

1 month, 3 weeks ago

Prisons are the problem, not the solution

As a former probation officer and someone who worked extensively with criminal justice organisations in the UK and Ireland, I read with interest your correspondent Phillip Pound’s observations on the …

The Independent

War Ukraine Prison Russian

UK’s prison overcrowding crisis fuelled by ‘tough on crime’ talk, Labour’s new tsar finds

1 month, 3 weeks ago

UK’s prison overcrowding crisis fuelled by ‘tough on crime’ talk, Labour’s new tsar finds

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email …

The Independent

Crime England Wales Justice

Filling station will transform lives of inmates: DGP, prisons

1 month, 3 weeks ago

Filling station will transform lives of inmates: DGP, prisons

Warangal: The opening of the 'My Nation Filling Station' at Mamnoor Central Jail represents a significant turning point in the rehabilitation of inmates, bringing new opportunities for both the local …

Deccan Chronicle

Inmates Warangal Filling Station

Politicians are guilty of turning our prisons into pressure cookers

1 month, 4 weeks ago

Politicians are guilty of turning our prisons into pressure cookers

The former deputy prime minister, Willie Whitelaw, used to talk about punishing criminals with “short, sharp shocks”. So what comes next for the long line of former ministers whose chaotic …

The Independent

Crime Justice Prison Criminal Justice

Wilders clashes with PVV prisons minister over cell shortages

2 months, 1 week ago

Wilders clashes with PVV prisons minister over cell shortages

Far-right PVV leader Geert Wilders has threatened to dismiss his own junior justice minister over plans to release prisoners early because of the shortage of jail cells, the AD reported …

Cell Wilders Coenradie Prisons Minister

Rapists and criminals could walk free because of the chaos overwhelming the justice system, leading barrister claims

2 months, 1 week ago

Rapists and criminals could walk free because of the chaos overwhelming the justice system, leading barrister claims

A leading barrister has warned that alleged rapists or other criminals charged with serious crimes could walk free because the justice system is in 'chaos'. Peter Joyce KC said years …

Justice Court Cases Bbc

Cabinet considering releasing prisoners two weeks early to free up space

2 months, 1 week ago

Cabinet considering releasing prisoners two weeks early to free up space

The Dutch government is working on a plan to release convicted prisoners up to two weeks early due to a shortage of prison cells and staff. Since changing the regulations …

NL Times

Releasing Prison Coenradie Justice

Scotland's billion-pound prison: SNP under fire after it is revealed cost of new jail has increased TENFOLD and cells will open years behind schedule

2 months, 1 week ago

Scotland's billion-pound prison: SNP under fire after it is revealed cost of new jail has increased TENFOLD and cells will open years behind schedule

The SNP has been accused of wasting huge amounts of taxpayers' money today after it was revealed a single new prison will cost almost a billion pounds. HMP Glasgow will …

Justice Prisoners Prison Scotland

Waiting list for a Dutch prison cell tops 4,000: EenVandaag

2 months, 1 week ago

Waiting list for a Dutch prison cell tops 4,000: EenVandaag

Over 4,000 convicted criminals who should be in jail are living in freedom because there are not enough jail cells for them, current affairs show EenVandaag said on Tuesday. The …

Prison Eenvandaag

Dutch prison shortage leaves over 4,000 convicts free, including 1,158 with victims

2 months, 1 week ago

Dutch prison shortage leaves over 4,000 convicts free, including 1,158 with victims

More than 4,000 convicted criminals in the Netherlands have avoided serving their prison sentences due to a shortage of prison cells, four times the number from the previous year, according …

NL Times

Prison Ministry One Year Sentences

Prison staffing crisis laid bare as complaints about officer behaviour surge to worst levels in at least a decade

2 months, 1 week ago

Prison staffing crisis laid bare as complaints about officer behaviour surge to worst levels in at least a decade

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email …

The Independent

Prison Independent Complaints Cent

Union Budget 2025-26: Sitharaman proposes Rs 300 cr to modernise Indian prisons

2 months, 1 week ago

Union Budget 2025-26: Sitharaman proposes Rs 300 cr to modernise Indian prisons

In May 2023, the Home Ministry had ﬁnalised a comprehensive ’Model Prisons Act’ with provisions regarding establishment and management of high security jails, open jails and ”protecting the society from …

Prison Budget Prisons Provision

Budget 2025-26: Govt allocates ₹75 crore for prison modernisation

2 months, 2 weeks ago

Budget 2025-26: Govt allocates ₹75 crore for prison modernisation

The Centre on Saturday proposed a budgetary allocation of ₹300 crore for the modernisation of prisons during the next financial year, the same as the current fiscal but which was …

Hindustan Times

Budget Crore Provision 75 Crore

Lockdown limits could end jail crisis

2 months, 3 weeks ago

Lockdown limits could end jail crisis

A sign for the visitors entrance outside HMP Wandsworth prison in London, UK on Sept 5, 2024. Current plans were also deemed "insufficient to meet estimated future demand," and the …

Prison End Lockdown

The prison population is going up as prisons struggle with staffing and overpopulation

3 months ago

The prison population is going up as prisons struggle with staffing and overpopulation

The prison population is going up as prisons struggle with staffing and overpopulation The prison population has been creeping back upward. As NPR's Meg Anderson reports, experts are warning the …

NPR

Population Prison Prisons Npr

Telangana Prisons round up: Near 31% rise in incarceration

3 months, 1 week ago

Telangana Prisons round up: Near 31% rise in incarceration

HYDERABAD The Telangana Prisons Department reported 30.89% increase in total admissions, from 31,428 in 2023 to 41,138 in 2024. Modernisation of prisons Over 20,000 e-mulaqats were recorded by the department …

Hyderabad Prisoners Prison Telangana

Georgia governor seeks to spend hundreds of millions more on prisons

3 months, 1 week ago

Georgia governor seeks to spend hundreds of millions more on prisons

Brian Kemp is proposing a big burst of new spending on Georgia’s prisons, including planning another new correctional facility and launching an extensive renovation program. The spending plan calls for …

Associated Press

Georgia Prison Oliver Million

Georgia governor seeks to spend hundreds of millions more on prisons

3 months, 1 week ago

Georgia governor seeks to spend hundreds of millions more on prisons

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to …

The Independent

Georgia Prison Oliver Million

Georgia governor seeks to spend hundreds of millions more on prisons

3 months, 1 week ago

Georgia governor seeks to spend hundreds of millions more on prisons

Brian Kemp is proposing a big burst of new spending on Georgia’s prisons, including planning another new correctional facility and launching an extensive renovation program. The spending plan calls for …

Associated Press

Georgia Prison Oliver Million

Jailed without hope: Ministers block 128 prisoners on indefinite jail terms from moving to open conditions

3 months, 2 weeks ago

Jailed without hope: Ministers block 128 prisoners on indefinite jail terms from moving to open conditions

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to …

The Independent

Board Prisoners Independent Open

The government needs to help prisoners serving indefinite jail terms – not prolong their suffering

Trending 3 months, 2 weeks ago

The government needs to help prisoners serving indefinite jail terms – not prolong their suffering

The government has blocked 128 inmates trapped by cruel indefinite jail terms from moving to open prisons in the past year. This is only the latest injustice suffered by prisoners …

The Independent

Prison Indefinite Sentences

Prisons in crisis as 74 attacks take place every day behind bars

3 months, 2 weeks ago

Prisons in crisis as 74 attacks take place every day behind bars

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN …

The Independent

Independent Prisons Westminster Email View

Offenders should be moved to open prisons to tackle overcrowding, says former justice secretary David Gauke

3 months, 2 weeks ago

Offenders should be moved to open prisons to tackle overcrowding, says former justice secretary David Gauke

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to …

The Independent

Justice Prisoners Prison Open Prisons

Send more convicts to open prisons to ease overcrowding crisis in jails and reduce reoffending, urges Labour adviser

3 months, 2 weeks ago

Send more convicts to open prisons to ease overcrowding crisis in jails and reduce reoffending, urges Labour adviser

More convicts should be sent to low-security open prisons to ease overcrowding in jails and reduce reoffending, a Government adviser has urged. David Gauke, the ex-Tory justice secretary who is …

Prison Labour Open Prisons Britain

Biden could foil Trump’s plans to resume federal executions

3 months, 3 weeks ago

Biden could foil Trump’s plans to resume federal executions

Meanwhile, the Justice Department is also on the verge of publishing the findings of a long-running internal review of the lethal injection protocol that the Trump administration adopted in 2019. …

Politico

Justice Death Trump Penalty

Supreme Court asks states/UTs to report statistics on vacant posts in prisons

Trending 4 months ago

Supreme Court asks states/UTs to report statistics on vacant posts in prisons

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked state governments to submit statistics on vacant posts of prison staff, observing that the vacancies in jails do not augur well for …

Hindustan Times

Bihar Prison Court States

Britain cannot build its way out of prisons crisis, Justice Secretary tells MPs

4 months ago

Britain cannot build its way out of prisons crisis, Justice Secretary tells MPs

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email …

The Independent

Places Conservative Building Way

20,000 extra prison places will be five years late and £4.2bn over budget, spending watchdog finds

4 months, 1 week ago

20,000 extra prison places will be five years late and £4.2bn over budget, spending watchdog finds

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email …

The Independent

Prison Crisis Report Plans

Dutch prisons too full, convicts to get early release to make space

4 months, 1 week ago

Dutch prisons too full, convicts to get early release to make space

The prisons and police holding cells are so full in the Netherlands that there is no space for more detainees or arrestees from this week onwards. State Secretary for Justice …

NL Times

Prison State Sentence

Are our rat-infested prisons doomed always to be a low priority?

4 months, 2 weeks ago

Are our rat-infested prisons doomed always to be a low priority?

Appalling conditions in English and Welsh prisons have been caused by years of underfunding, mismanagement and neglect, according to Elisabeth Davies, the national chair of the Independent Monitoring Boards. She …

The Independent

Prison Minister Prisons Timpson

How the collapse of one of Britain’s biggest building firms will hit Labour’s prison and schools plan

4 months, 3 weeks ago

How the collapse of one of Britain’s biggest building firms will hit Labour’s prison and schools plan

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to …

The Independent

London Prison School Contracts

‘Last person matters most’: SC on freeing eligible undertrial prisoners

4 months, 3 weeks ago

‘Last person matters most’: SC on freeing eligible undertrial prisoners

The Supreme Court on Tuesday underscored the urgency of implementing provisions for the release of first-time offenders from prisons, emphasising that justice must extend to the “last person” standing unheard …

Hindustan Times

Prisoners Court State Release

Revealed: Record number of ex-offenders charged with serious new crimes while on probation

4 months, 4 weeks ago

Revealed: Record number of ex-offenders charged with serious new crimes while on probation

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to …

The Independent

Independent Risk Service Probation

Revealed: Labour released nearly 1,900 criminals from prison early in just ONE day in bid to deal with jail overcrowding

5 months, 1 week ago

Revealed: Labour released nearly 1,900 criminals from prison early in just ONE day in bid to deal with jail overcrowding

At least 3,100 criminals have been freed under Labour's early release scheme so far, new data showed today. The Ministry of Justice revealed 1,889 inmates were freed on first day …

Justice Prison Labour Early