Latest news with #prisoncrisis
LBCI
6 days ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Overcrowded and overlooked: Lebanon's prisons at breaking point
Report by Mirna Daou, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi Lebanon's prison system is reaching a breaking point, with overcrowding escalating into a full-blown crisis. Despite mounting pressure, state efforts to address the situation remain sluggish, even as conditions inside detention facilities deteriorate and the financial burden on the government grows. Roumieh Prison, the country's largest and most overcrowded facility, has resumed court hearings, with three exceptional criminal chambers now holding sessions weekly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. A major contributor to the prison congestion is the high number of incarcerated Syrians. According to the latest figures from the Internal Security Forces (ISF), 1,698 Syrian nationals are currently detained in Lebanese prisons, including individuals accused of terrorism-related offenses. Of these, 1,076 have received final verdicts, while the remaining 622 are still awaiting trial. However, the exact number involved in major crimes remains unclear due to delays in completing a full classification of the detainees. A recent meeting between Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shibani yielded promises of cooperation, specifically regarding the potential repatriation of Syrian prisoners. Yet, so far, no tangible progress has been made. Key obstacles include the absence of a formal legal framework between Beirut and Damascus, which is necessary to initiate transfers and clarify exceptions for certain cases. Under discussion are potential legal exclusions for prisoners convicted of serious crimes, but those convicted of offenses such as theft or illegal entry are expected to be returned to Syria to serve the remainder of their sentences. This paralysis raises concerns about whether the delay is due to legitimate legal challenges or simply a reflection of the institutional inefficiency that frequently stalls progress in Lebanon. With Syrian detainees comprising roughly 28% of the entire prison population, the consequences of continued inaction are dire, and the strain on Lebanon's penal system shows no sign of easing anytime soon.
Times
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Times
John Major: It's time our punishments moved beyond prison
Our prisons are in crisis. They are overcrowded, violent and failing to rehabilitate offenders. Last July, the government was compelled to announce the emergency release of prisoners because the prison population was about to exceed the number of prison places. The consequence of not taking action would have been the collapse of the justice system. However, notwithstanding these measures, the Ministry of Justice revealed last week that, by November, it is expected there will be no more space for adult male offenders. We cannot go on like this. This state of affairs has been caused by a prison population that has grown beyond any expectation over recent decades, and that growth is forecast to continue. Early in my political career, I was a parliamentary
Telegraph
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Call me sexist but prison is no place for a woman
It's surely a surprise to precisely no one that Britain's prisons are in crisis. They have been, on and off, for well over a decade. That's not to diminish the seriousness of the situation, but it's a reflection of an inexcusable lack of planning by the last Conservative government. In 2016, Theresa May promised to build 10,000 new prison places. Three years later her successor Johnson bumptiously pledged another 10,000 new prison places by 2026. So far, just 6,000 new places have resulted since 2019. The reason jails are overcrowded are manifold and include the fact that more offenders are being sent to prison and a sclerotic judicial system that sees 17,000 prisoners on remand, which is the highest level for at least 50 years. As of April there were 84,043 male prisoners and 3,683 female prisoners in England and Wales. With space rapidly running out, Labour is introducing emergency measures that will release thousands of inmates early – those offenders with sentences between one and four years, who have been released after serving their minimum period but then recalled for breaching their licence, such as by not sticking to their curfew, will be released after just 28 days. It will include criminals convicted of assault, burglary, theft, fraud, drug dealing and some domestic abusers. That doesn't sound like justice to me. So here's a solution; release women prisoners. Not all of them obviously; the Rose Wests, Beverley Allitts and Lucy Letbys must stay put and serve their time. But so few female inmates pose a danger to the public it seems nonsensical to keep them locked up when the men's estate is crying out for space and wardens to staff it. Two-thirds of female prisoners have committed non-violent offences and more than half – 57 per cent – of female prisoners are victims of domestic abuse. Self-harm in women's prisons is over eight times higher than in the male estate and, most salient of all, when mothers are sent to prison – an estimated 50 per cent of offenders – families are broken up with often lifelong consequences for the children.
Sky News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Men's prisons could run out of space in months, government warns
Men's prisons in England and Wales could run out of space later this year, the government has warned, as it announced three new jails worth £4.7bn will be built starting this year. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood revealed the expansion plans in Downing Street alongside Amy Rees, the outgoing chief executive of His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). Ms Rees outlined how the male prison population was at 99% capacity and set to run out of room in November. She highlighted issues like longer average sentences and not enough new prison capacity as contributing factors to the crisis. A high number of criminals being recalled to custody was also noted. Repeating previous schemes to release people earlier in their sentences would "only buy us time", Ms Rees said. Ms Mahmood went on to criticise the Conservatives, saying the situation the UK found itself in was "shameful". She claimed Labour added 28,000 places under Sir Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's governments, while the 14 years of Tory-rule after that only saw 500 new places. The justice secretary then confirmed that £4.7bn would be invested to build new prisons. The announcement comes ahead of the spending review and Ms Mahmood says it will allow three penitentiaries to start construction. 12:16 Ms Mahmood said last year that £2.3bn would be spent on prisons, meaning a total of £7bn has been announced by the new government. The three new prisons are the same as those announced last year, and alongside HMP Millsike which has already opened. To relieve the pressure on prisons in the interim, the government said it was going to limit recall conditions for some inmates. This includes prisoners serving up to four years only being subject to recall periods of 28 days, although repeat offenders and those at higher risk will not be eligible for the limit. The plans come after the government's controversial early release scheme last year, which saw some inmates freed after serving only 40% of their sentences, rather than the usual 50%. Meanwhile, the latest weekly statistics for England and Wales showed the prison population stood at 88,087. The figure is 434 below the last peak in the prison population of 88,521 inmates on 6 September 2024 - just before the early release scheme began.
The Sun
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Prisons will run out of space in just 5 MONTHS as government unveils raft of new measures to tackle overcrowding crisis
JAIL FEARS MEN'S prisons are set to run out of space in just five months time with the justice system in chaos - sparking a new jail building plan. A massive £4.7 billion plan to build three new prisons has been given the green light to deal with the shortage of space. 3 3 3 Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said it was 'shameful' that in this country finds itself in the 'cycle of crisis'. She added that there has been a 'total breakdown in law and order'. She said that her Tory predecessors 'failed to act'. Mahmood announced that those serving sentences between one and four years will only be recalled for a 28-day period. The measure comes after those being recalled has jumped significantly in recent years. The recall population was just 100 in 1993, before rising to 6,000 in 2018 and soared to 13,600 in March this year. Amy Rees, interim permanent secretary at the Ministry of Justice, said: 'The total prison population is 88,087 and the adult male estate is operating at approximately 99% of its capacity every year. 'On our current trajectory, the prison population rises by 3,000, and now we expect to hit zero capacity, to entirely run out of prison places for adult men, in November of this year. The UK will run out of prison spaces entirely by November of this year, Amy Rees, interim permanent secretary to the Ministry of Justice said today. The population of prisoners has been rising by about 3,000 each year - the equivalent of two new prisons full. The Government has today a raft of new measures to tackle prison overcrowding with jails on the brink of collapse AGAIN despite thousands getting early release. Shabana Mahmood has set out a stop-gap solution afternoon as the country's jails are once again at 99 per cent capacity. It comes ahead of the Sentencing Review new week which is set to recommend that prisoners who behave well will only have to serve a third of their sentences under a radical shake up. The Justice Secretary is due to accept plans drawn up in David Gauke's sentencing review which is set to be published next week. Instead of automatic release, each convict will be given a minimum and maximum sentence, depending on how serious the offence is. Which length of time they serve will depend on whether they engage with rehabilitation in prison, training programmes, and education. It mirrors the Texas system which Ms Mahmood traveled to see earlier this year. And it comes after a prison guard had their throat slashed by an inmate in the latest incident of growing violence behind bars. The staff member was attacked at HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes, according to the union representing prison officers. A prisoner used an improvised weapon to attack the staff member who needed stitches to their neck and ear as a result. Another violent incident at the same jail involved an inmate who is locked up for terrorism charges. And a near fatal attack at HMP Frankland by Manchester arena terrorist Hashem Abedi saw the lag throw hot cooking oil and stab three prison officers. An investigation is also underway into how Southport killer Axel Rudakubana was able to hurl scolding water over a prison officer inside HMP Belmarsh. The latest weekly prison population in England and Wales stands at 88,087, 434 below the last peak in the prison population of 88,521 inmates in September. Just days after last year's peak in numbers, the Government began freeing thousands of prisoners early as part of efforts to curb jail overcrowding. Ministers ordered early releases by temporarily reducing the proportion of sentences which some prisoners must serve behind bars from 50 per cent to 40 per cent. As a result prisoners were seen dancing in the streets outside jails and popping champagne, in scenes which were widely criticised.
