Submission to the Justice Committee inquiry into the future prison population and estate capacity

“Prison is the most serious criminal justice sanction and as such should be reserved for the most serious of offences. However, evidence suggests that sections of the prison population are inappropriately or disproportionately incarcerated.

“A large and rising prison population has well-documented and serious implications for the safe, effective and purposeful management of prisons. It causes overcrowding and renders accommodation indecent. Compounded by staff shortages, regimes are curtailed, therefore impacting rehabilitative work.

“Overcrowding fosters an increase in the pressures and strains of the prison environment, impacting on the physical and mental health and wellbeing of prisoners and staff.”

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