So where will they go?

What struck me was the degree of the crisis uncovered, and that not only the previous government had kept it well under wraps but so had the newspapers that are all too eager usually to present us with shock horror headlines kept silent. Now its all over the headlines.

This government has lost the plot

Forgot to add:
The last government had planned the early release scheme before the election, but this also isn't alluded to.

would be more space if we didn't house foreign prisoners, why can't they be sent back to their own countries, serve their time their at that countries expense, not ours. I know they may have committed the crime here but why should we have to foot the bill for them in prison and then when they are releasesed.

Oh for heavens sake. Every single problem this country faces is not because of foreigners.

maybe not all, but a fair amount is and a lot is because we let it happen.

Foreign prisoners make up roughly 12 % of the prison population.

There are 2 schemes as regards sending back to country of origin
commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cdp-2024-0023/#:~:text=Foreign%20national%20offenders%20can%20be,through%20the%20Facilitated%20Return%20Scheme.
Feb 2024.

Googling quickly shows these schemes are very under used but also very complex, expensive and time consuming.

I understood that murderers were not eligible for early release?🤔
Prisoners who are given early release could be given the option of joining the armed forces, thereby ensuring their accommodation.

I dont know about the Army or the Royal Navy, but there are quite a few ex RAF bases which could be used, and in fact were being muted for the immigrants piling in.

This is not a very optimistic thread is it?

Scaremongering as usual.

Lock up your daughters, why don’t you?

What is the point in having a police force or a justice system if they are just let them out early, are given money, some even being housed in hotels at tax payers expense. We've seen the videos of some of the low life scum they have let out today. It's sickening.

I'm disgusted at Starmer and his ridiculous excuses for doing this. Have they broken any ground to build any more prisons since being in office? No of course not, just blame the previous government and let dangerous vile people out of prison.

Law and order no longer exists in this country and the politicians of all parties are to blame. But the sitting PM has done it and he will forever be the PM that let down law abiding citizens. He should hang his head in shame.

I feel sick for all the women and children who might now be in danger again as they've let horribly dangerous people out again.

I don't care if the conditions in prison were awful, build some more or float some more prison ships. I care more about the people of this country who don't commit crimes.

This is a surreal thread. People seem very naive about what facilities are required for prisons, how they could be staffed and how many spaces short the system actually is. Doesn’t the fact that the Tories were already planning to do this before the election tell you that it’s desperate times. There are more prison places planned and being built, but too late.
www.theguardian.com/society/2023/sep/29/plan-for-20000-more-prison-places-in-england-and-wales-wont-be-complete-until-2030

We are living in very surreal times Casdon and it’s getting more surreal with every day.

Re exclusion in schools - I was a voluntary mentor to pupils in secondary schools for a while. The pupils had varying difficulties, problems etc, including exclusions. The scheme is a charity, but the local council provided some funding, which helped to employ a paid coordinator in each school. Unfortunately, a year ago, the council withdrew much of their support which resulted in the number of schools involved was greatly reduced. Many similar schemes could be introduced for school pupils, those guilty of minor crimes and also to give support to those with mental health problems, but without funding they can’t get off the ground, or sustained. Same old story.

eggplant

Can you put in prison for waving a flag? That seems a waste of rescources.

No, you can't

ronib

We are living in very surreal times Casdon and it’s getting more surreal with every day.

Okay ronib you tell us what you would specifically do to resolve this isssue, given that governments of all hues have been unable to come up with any other way forward? I’m longing to hear what previously not considered and dismissed plans you have. If you can do it without obfuscation that would be really good.

Iam64

The riots occurred weeks after the election. The prisons were already overcrowded. Prison staff inexperienced as more expensive long serving officers went with austerity. The previous government were well aware of the timber box brewing but did no more than talk about building more prisons. No plans to improve the Probation Service it destroyed. No plans for extending community punishments

The rioters imprisoned committed some very serious offences. In all the circumstances, it’s likely there will be some problems. The government will be well aware of this.

Thank you for your clear, concise, non hysterical analysis of the situation. Last night on Newsnight (I think), a previous Conservative MP was asking, persistently, why the new Labour government hadn't built any prisons! I know they are streamlining and speeding up the planning process, but building the much needed extra prison space, since July? I think not.

I'm disgusted at Starmer and his ridiculous excuses for doing this. Have they broken any ground to build any more prisons since being in office? No of course not, just blame the previous government and let dangerous vile people out of prison

Give me strength.......

I expect you believed Johnson when he promised the 40 new hospitals.

Casdon maybe ask Jeremy Corbyn - he is the only MP with a backbone ?
Also more fundamentally it is for the government to stop creating underclasses. Some people will always have a head start in life and others will always struggle. We need to be much more proactive in creating opportunities across the class divide.

It's amazing that to accommodate new prisoners some nearly new ones are being released. Support services are already struggling yet almost overnight there is supposed to be enough staff. Why not use the old barge used for asylum seekers? One issue was that they felt locked up, should be fine for prisoners.

Gummie

What is the point in having a police force or a justice system if they are just let them out early, are given money, some even being housed in hotels at tax payers expense. We've seen the videos of some of the low life scum they have let out today. It's sickening.

I'm disgusted at Starmer and his ridiculous excuses for doing this. Have they broken any ground to build any more prisons since being in office? No of course not, just blame the previous government and let dangerous vile people out of prison.

Law and order no longer exists in this country and the politicians of all parties are to blame. But the sitting PM has done it and he will forever be the PM that let down law abiding citizens. He should hang his head in shame.

I feel sick for all the women and children who might now be in danger again as they've let horribly dangerous people out again.

I don't care if the conditions in prison were awful, build some more or float some more prison ships. I care more about the people of this country who don't commit crimes.

I think you’ll find that, when Rory Stewart was prisons minister he was arguing for pretty similar measures?

ronib

Casdon maybe ask Jeremy Corbyn - he is the only MP with a backbone ?
Also more fundamentally it is for the government to stop creating underclasses. Some people will always have a head start in life and others will always struggle. We need to be much more proactive in creating opportunities across the class divide.

Well, if he hadn’t’ve lost two elections he could have been doing all that, couldn’t he?

HPQ
I expect you believed Johnson when he promised the 40 new hospitals.

🤣🤣🤣

We keep getting these unverifiable assumptions from those desperate to defend KS and the LP.

Not having confidence in Starmer, does not necessarily mean you had confidence in the previous government OR that you necessarily voted for them.

ronib

Casdon maybe ask Jeremy Corbyn - he is the only MP with a backbone ?
Also more fundamentally it is for the government to stop creating underclasses. Some people will always have a head start in life and others will always struggle. We need to be much more proactive in creating opportunities across the class divide.

I am asking you personally ronib what you would do at this juncture about prison overcrowding - not in the future, but now. I want to understand your solutions because nobody else has any, other than releasing prisoners now to free up spaces. NB Jeremy Corbyn has no influence in parliament.