Prisons being on ‘crisis mode’ is harming efforts to reduce reoffending, MPs warn
UK prison system jeopardises offender rehabilitation and crime reduction, MPs warn
- A new Justice Committee report warns that the UK's prison system is in crisis, jeopardising efforts to rehabilitate offenders and reduce crime rates.
- The report highlights severe overcrowding, chronic staff shortages and appalling living conditions as key factors contributing to an 80 per cent reoffending rate.
- Many prisoners are locked in their cells for 22 hours or more daily, with half not engaged in education or work programmes, hindering rehabilitation and impacting mental health.
- Recent high-profile cases of prisoners being mistakenly released underscore the “horrendous strain” on the system, with 91 such errors between April and October this year.
- MPs also raised concerns about declining education for children in custody and significant real-term cuts to prison education budgets.