UK Prison Governors Warned Over Inadequate Cell Use Amid Overcrowding Crisis
A leaked letter instructs prison staff to adhere to legal requirements for cell safety and suitability as inmate numbers strain capacity.
Prison governors in England and Wales have been cautioned against using substandard cells to manage escalating overcrowding, according to a leaked document obtained by the BBC. The letter from the Prison Governors' Association (PGA) urges members to comply with legal health and safety standards when housing inmates, ensuring cells are fit for purpose and appropriate for the number of prisoners they contain.
Prison staff have reported an increasing practice of placing two inmates in single-occupancy cells due to severe overcrowding in the adult male prison estate. Concerns have been raised that infrastructure issues, such as faulty heating or plumbing, make some cells unsuitable for habitation, especially when double-occupied. "The infrastructure is failing, especially in the older establishments, and cramming people into cells isn't going to help," one governor anonymously stated.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson asserted that cells are only doubled up "where it is safe to do so."
The PGA's leaked document, titled "Operational Capacity Guidance," explicitly references the Prisons Act 1952 and related rules, stating that cells must be certified by an inspector as adequate in size, lighting, heating, ventilation, and fittings for prisoner health and communication with staff. The guidance also stipulates that a prison's population must not exceed its certified capacity.
Sources within the prison service suggest that management is facing pressure to accommodate more inmates than is safe or practical. The adult male prison system is reportedly operating at 98.5% capacity, with a total population of approximately 83,400 and only around 1,200 spaces remaining. Staff members have expressed worry about insufficient personnel to adequately monitor the increased number of prisoners and the strain on existing infrastructure.
Former prison governor John Podmore described the situation as "fundamentally unfair" for governors managing a crisis not of their making. He argued that adding a second bed to a cell does not guarantee safety or sensibility, and suggested ministers should address the reasons for high inmate churn rather than simply increasing cell density.
In an effort to alleviate the overcrowding, the government is initiating an early release scheme scheduled to begin next month. Over a ten-month period, approximately 4,500 offenders will be released sooner than their original sentences dictated. The first phase on October 1 will see around 700 offenders serving sentences up to 19 months released early, followed by approximately 650 prisoners on October 13 who have served between 19 months and two years and five months.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson stated that the current government inherited a prison capacity crisis and is actively working to increase available places. The ministry is reportedly delivering new places, converting existing spaces into cells, acquiring land for future prisons, and expediting the removal of foreign national offenders.