Failure on prison capacity has spread across multiple governments, the solution is rehabilitation

The failure to provide sufficient prison capacity has now spread across both Conservative and Labour governments.

After Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour party swept to power, it said there was no alternative but to release prisoners early owing to a lack of capacity.

His government sought to put the blame on the doorstep of previous Conservative administrations. The reality is that the Tories had not built enough prisons. But subsequently there has been little progress on prison capacity under Labour.

It leaves the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham in a difficult situation. The idea that the killers of Pc Andrew Harper could be released early from their sentences because of a lack of capacity has rightly angered the general public.

Leading to Burnham ordering Justice Secretary Alex Norris to draw up plans to increase the number of cells available to keep more serious offenders behind bars. The devil will be in the detail but if Burnham’s Government gets it wrong, it could do severe damage to not only Labour but confidence in the country’s justice system.

The fact that probation officers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of potential strike action in protest against the early release of prisoners, citing that they cannot protect the public properly, shows underlines the danger of shortages in prison capacity.

A wider debate is needed on breaking the cycle of reoffending. The emphasis is on incarceration and not always on rehabilitation. Training and reskilling can help ex-offenders turn their lives around. Easing pressure on prisons.