§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they agree with the Lord Chief Justice, in his lecture given 31 January, that prison overcrowding in England and Wales debilitates the whole system; and, if not, why not; and [HL903]
What steps they will take to eliminate the problem of prison overcrowding in England and Wales; and [HL904]
What steps they will take to make a sure Home Detention Curfews are used as much as possible. [HL906]
§ Lord Bassam of BrightonThe prison population of 23 February 2001 was 64,488. This was 6,838 below the total certified operational capacity of 71,326 for the same day. The Government set no target for the prison population, as it is for the courts to determine who is sent to prison. The Government will provide the places necessary to accommodate safely and securely those sentenced by the courts. New prison capacity is opening this year. Rye Hill, a 600-place prison near Rugby, opened in January 2001 and Dovegate, an 800-place prison in Staffordshire, is scheduled to open in July 2001. The 2000 Spending Review also provides funding to increase capacity by a further 2,660 by 2004.
Overcrowding does not debilitate the whole prison system. It is mainly concentrated in local prisons, which are expected to absorb prisoners as and when the courts remand them. Overcrowding can impact on the daily regime of a prison and constrain the time that prisoners spend on constructive activity. However, it is carefully monitored to ensure that prisons experiencing population difficulties receive support in moving sentenced prisoners to those prisons with vacancies as speedily as operationally possible. The sharing of cells can in certain circumstances be beneficial, such as for prisoners at risk of self harm or suicide.
The purpose of Home Detention Curfew (HDC) is to provide selected short-term prisoners with a monitored return to the community, helping them reintegrate into society in a way which best protects the public. Governors may not release prisoners on HDC unless they first pass a stringent risk assessment. I am satisfied that this test is being applied properly and would not wish to encourage governors to release those who might be at higher risk of reoffending or breaching their curfew conditions, or who might pose a danger to the public, simply in order to free up prison places.