Fixing Our Broken Prison System

For too long, years of neglect and mismanagement by the previous Conservative Government have pushed our prison system into a deep crisis. 

Overcrowded, understaffed, and unable to properly rehabilitate offenders, the system is now at breaking point. 

This crisis didn’t appear overnight. The Conservatives should never have allowed it to get to this position, and now it falls on the new government to take urgent action to fix it. 

Liberal Democrats have a clear plan to tackle this crisis, and it starts with focusing on the root problems: cutting reoffending rates and eliminating the criminal courts backlog. 

A Broken System in Need of Urgent Action

Right now, the prison population in England and Wales is at a dangerously high level. With 87,453 people behind bars and a maximum capacity of just 88,864, we are teetering on the edge of a complete collapse of our prison system. Overcrowding means that our prisons are not just places of punishment—they have become places where offenders cannot be properly rehabilitated, leading to high rates of reoffending.

Shockingly, 3 in 4 ex-inmates reoffend within nine years of their release, and 4 in 10 do so within the first twelve months. This reoffending epidemic costs our society £18.1 billion every year. It is clear: the current system isn’t working.

The situation is even worse for those on remand, with the population of those waiting for trial hitting a record high of 16,458 as of March 2024. These individuals now make up 20% of the entire prison population. Much of this is due to the criminal court backlog, which means that people are left languishing in prison without a trial, contributing to the overcrowding crisis.

A Liberal Democrat Plan for Change

The current government must act now to tackle these issues and prevent our prison system from becoming completely unsustainable. That’s why today we have passed new policy for fixing our broken prison system:

• Cut the Court Backlog: We need to reduce the number of people in prison on remand by addressing the criminal court backlog. This means prioritising case hearings where defendants are on remand, getting justice served quicker and easing the pressure on our prison system.
• Protecting the Public: It is critical that violent prisoners, including perpetrators of domestic abuse, are not eligible for early release. Public safety must always come first.
• Properly Fund Probation Services: Any early release schemes must be paired with additional resources for probation services, so they can handle the increased workload. Releasing prisoners without the support they need is a recipe for disaster.
• Rehabilitate, Don’t Reoffend: We need to end the cycle of reoffending. That’s why we are proposing a presumption against short sentences of 12 months or less, with a focus on rehabilitation in the community instead. 
• Better Training and Rehabilitation: For those who do serve time in prison, rehabilitation must be at the heart of our approach. That means investing in better training, education, and work opportunities, alongside introducing a “through the gates” mentorship programme to support prisoners as they transition back into society.
• Recruit More Prison Officers: Finally, we need to address the staffing crisis in our prisons by bringing forward an urgent plan to recruit and retain more prison officers. Overworked and overstressed staff simply cannot manage the current situation, let alone one where the population continues to rise.

This is not just about fixing a broken system—it’s about building one that works for everyone. Our proposals are rooted in common sense and fairness. By cutting the reoffending rate and clearing the courts backlog, we can ease overcrowding and create a prison system that truly rehabilitates offenders. 

The Conservatives have left us with a mess, but we don’t have to continue down this road. The Liberal Democrats have a plan that will fix our prisons and give offenders a real chance at rehabilitation—helping to create a safer, fairer society for us all.

It’s time to stop talking about fixing the crisis in our prisons and start taking real action. The solutions are clear. Let’s get to work.