The real prison numbers scandal

The Government was accused yesterday of trying to build its way out of the prisons overcrowding crisis as it outlined its vision for the construction of three supersize jails which would bring the number of offenders behind bars to almost 100,000.

Despite stark reminders from penal reform experts that more people are already locked up in England and Wales than anywhere else in western Europe, Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, said he was pressing ahead.

The 1.2bn programme brought widespread condemnation from liberal campaigners through to seasoned prison officials, with penal reformers protesting that "cavernous warehouses on green-belt land" would do nothing to rehabilitate prisoners or to enhance security in the surrounding communities. Prison governors warned that the "super-jails", which would hold 2,500 offenders each, could be vulnerable to explosive riots.

The prison population now stands at almost 81,500, the highest figure on record and an increase of more than 20,000 in a decade. The Government is now planning for the prison capacity to rise to 96,000 by 2014. Its plans were unveiled as a new analysis by the Prison Reform Trust disclosed the disturbing scale of the problem. The soaring levels of imprisonment over the past decade were reflected in statistics which showed that, for every 100,000 of the population of England and Wales, 148 people are in prison, compared with 85 per 100,000 in France and 93 per 100,000 in Germany. The number of women inmates has increased from less than 2,000 in 1995 to 4,510 today.

The tendency for disproportionate numbers of prisoners to be drink or drug addicts was also emphasised, with 70 per cent of new prisoners having a drug problem and 63 per cent admitting to heavy drinking.

Perhaps the most worrying trend was that of prison suicide rates, particularly among young men. The suicide rate for men in prison is five times higher than in the population as a whole and 748 prisoners have taken their lives in a decade, the study calculated. The most recent was Liam McManus, an inmate at Lancaster Farms prison who was found hanged in his cell last week. He was 15 years old.

Despite accusations that the Government was pursuing "short-sighted" and "unsustainable" policies, Mr Straw insisted that the expansion was justified. He said: "Nobody likes locking up people unless it is necessary. But you have to have the prison places for dealing with criminals for whom community sentences are not appropriate."

Many observers were vehement in their criticism. "Building cavernous warehouses on green-belt land for people to lie on their bunks all day before being dumped into the community only to commit more crimes neither serves the taxpayer or past and future victims of crime," said Frances Crook, the director of the Howard League for Penal Reform.

Paul Cavadino, chief executive of the crime reduction charity Nacro, said trying to solve the crisis by simply building more prisons was a simplistic approach to reform which ignored fundamental questions over the effectiveness of imprisonment.

"Increasing the prison capacity to 96,000 is a depressing prospect," he said. "It will institutionalise this country's position as the prison capital of Europe and absorb vast resources which would be better spent on offenders' rehabilitation, crime prevention and victim support."

Concerns over the practical consequences of the prisons were also aired, with senior prison workers even warning that such large-scale systems ran the risk of mass riots.

Harry Fletcher, assistant general secretary of the probation union Napo, said: "It goes against all previous advice, which has been for smaller units close to where prisoners live. It would be difficult to find sites, obtain planning permission and manage and recruit staff." Juliet Lyon, the director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: "Pouring money into jumbo jails will engulf any sensible plans to reform the justice system. Everyone knows that giant institutions don't work."

The plans were drawn up by the government troubleshooter Lord Carter of Coles after he was called in for the third time in a decade for advice. At their heart is the construction of three massive prisons, described as "Titan" jails by Mr Straw. The first would open in 2012, with a further two expected by 2014. The most likely locations are in the South-east, the North-west and the West Midlands.

Ministers were advised by Lord Carter to force through planning permission for the "super-jails", which are likely to be run by private companies, as quickly as possible. The most dilapidated prisons, holding 5,000 inmates, would be shut after 2013.

Lord Carter warned that the service faced a more immediate problem, with a shortage of up to 3,000 prison places by next summer and up to 6,000 in 2009.

Mr Straw told MPs that a former RAF base at Coltishall in Norfolk would be converted into a prison. He confirmed he was also looking for a prison ship.

Lord Carter also urged adjustments to sentencing rules that would have the combined effect of reducing the prison population by between 3,500 and 4,500.

Nick Herbert, the shadow Justice Secretary, said the Carter report was a "devastating indictment" of the prison system.

What Jack Straw said

* Three "Titan jails" to be built, opening 9,500 prison spaces

* Run-down jails housing 5,000 inmates to be closed

* MoD base in Norfolk to be converted into a prison

* Search for a prison ship

* Sentences for minor offenders to be reviewed

* Setting up a Sentencing Commission to review "sentencing ranges" to be considered

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