Spaces at ‘super prison’ near York raise questions over plans to release prisoners early

The fact that prisoners are being released early because the Government says there isn’t enough yet the country’s newest “super prison” near York is still operating at hundreds of prisoners below its full capacity more than a year after opening is deeply embarrassing for the Government.

HMP Millsike, on the edge of the East Riding of Yorkshire, opened in March last year to a cost of £400m. When fully operational it will hold 1,468 prisoners, however at the moment it is restricted to a capacity of 1,158.

It would be unreasonable to expect a new prison to reach capacity in a short space of time but given that it has been open over a year and against the context of prisoners being released early under the excuse of a lack of available spaces, questions have to be asked as to whether everything is being done to ensure ex-offenders serve their time.

While there is clearly a need to build new prisons, it is also important that they are adequately staffed. Only then can the capacity issue be properly addressed.

In the immediate term, the Government needs to carry out an audit of the number of places actually available in the prison system because if HMP Millsike is anything to go by then there is still some capacity to house ex-offenders. Other issues should not get in the way of ensuring that justice is served.

Long term, the only way that Britain is going to get on top of prison capacity is by tackling re-offending. Too often, ex-offenders find themselves back out in the community and feel that they have nowhere to turn.

That is why the emphasis needs to shift from incarceration to rehabilitation. Getting inmates to think about life beyond bars, providing them with the necesary skills to find employment has to be the way forward.