UK Prison Service Plans to Double Up Inmates in Temporary Cells Amid Overcrowding Crisis

Plans are underway within the UK's Prison Service to house two inmates in single-occupancy prefabricated cells, known as 'rapid deployment cells' (RDCs), in an effort to alleviate a severe overcrowding crisis. Leaked documents indicate that governors at ten medium-security jails have been instructed to devise strategies for accommodating an additional bed in these temporary structures.

This initiative aims to create an additional 476 prison spaces. The scheme follows a series of policy shifts regarding early prisoner releases. Prison officers' leaders have voiced strong opposition, warning that the plan could lead to staff walkouts due to health and safety concerns. The Prison Governors' Association (PGA) also expressed apprehension that a failure to conduct thorough risk assessments could compromise safety and security within the affected facilities.

RDCs are modular units that can be stacked up to two stories high within a prison's perimeter. Each unit is designed with a single bed, a toilet, and a shower.

An email circulated last month from a Prison Service executive to governors stated that maximizing prison capacity is a matter of "high ministerial interest." The email confirmed that the "physical viability of installing a second bed in these units has been worked through at pace," with an assessment indicating that only ground-floor units are suitable for double occupancy. The executive emphasized the need to identify all potential capacity quickly due to "continued high population growth, and less supply coming online than anticipated."

Another internal document suggests that implementing these proposals would exceed safe occupancy levels and breach the operational capacity limits of the jails.

Mark Fairhurst, national chairman of the Prison Officers' Association, stated that while officers are legally prohibited from striking, they would consider walking out on health and safety grounds if asked to manage prisons with the proposed inmate numbers. He warned that increasing space in this manner puts additional pressure on an already overcrowded system and risks prison stability.

PGA president Tom Wheatley noted that RDCs are among the least secure accommodations in the prison estate and that prisoners housed in them must undergo rigorous risk assessments to ensure safety and security.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson affirmed that the government is "pulling every lever available to ensure there is always space to lock up dangerous offenders." The spokesperson added that cells are only doubled up "where it is safe to do so," and that no final decision has been made regarding these specific units.