§ 41. Mr. Awberyasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the normal capacity of the Bristol Prison with 629 one prisoner for each cell; the present number of prisoners housed in the prison; and what steps are being taken to increase the prison accommodation and to deal with offenders other than by sending them to the prison.
§ Major Lloyd-GeorgeOn the night of 16th July, 1956, there was normal accommodation at Bristol prison for 237 prisoners of which 207 places were in cells and 30 in rooms. There were 231 prisoners in cells that night and 37 prisoners in rooms. The additional accommodation in the two new prisons and the psychiatric institution which it is proposed to build will ease the pressure on general local prisons such as Bristol. I have asked the Advisory Council on the Treatment of Offenders to consider possible alternatives to short terms of imprisonment and a Committee of the Council is actively engaged on the problem.
§ Mr. AwberyCould the Home Secretary tell us how many cells were occupied by three prisoners or more?
§ Major Lloyd-GeorgeI think there were 78 prisoners at that time who were three in a cell.