Prison recall figures show justice system is close to breaking point (2024)

With 88,000 people locked up across England and Wales, there are now more in our prisons than serving full time in the British army.

In other words, the system is full to bursting.

From prisoners languishing on remand without hope of an imminent trial to the horrific conditions on the inside and the reckless release of potentially dangerous inmates to free up space, the road from justice to rehabilitation has veered wildly off course.

So why are our prisons at breaking point? And, more importantly, what can an incoming government do about it?

The problem ultimately stems from the severe ­­­backlog in our courts.

About 16,000 inmates are being held on remand awaiting trial. That's more than 18 per cent of the total prison population sitting in cells at the taxpayer's expense.

Meanwhile, recent reports by the Chief Inspector of ­Prisons have exposed just how unacceptable conditions are for those on the inside.

A governor of ­Wandsworth Prison in London resigned after an inspection revealed inmates living in squalor, locked up for 22 hours a day, some in cells overrun with vermin.

Ian Acheson, a former prison governor himself, has also revealed that nearly 50 per cent of prisoners are taking drugs. If they weren't abusing narcotics when they went in, they are likely to be doing so by the time they come out.

Shortly before Parliament shut down ahead of next month's General Election, I put a formal question to Lord Bellamy KC, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, asking how many offenders were recalled to prison in 2023 following their release.

Exclusively in the Daily Mail, I can now reveal the shocking answer.

Last year, a total of 27,820 inmates were recalled to prison for ­breaching the terms of their release. That's a 140 per cent increase on 2022. A 'breach' can be anything from consistently missing appointments with a ­probation officer, to being reported for taking drugs, being drunk or disruptive.

So what has the Government's latest response been? To release certain prisoners early to free up cells. I'm afraid this amounts to pulling the plug while the tap is still running.

From last month when this plan was announced, I had my doubts. Some people thought I was overly tough on crime when I was Home ­Secretary some 20 years ago.

But everything I did was about maintaining public safety — a central pillar of the contract between State and citizen.

Every constituency surgery or community meeting I attended, I heard the same thing: 'How are you keeping me and my family safe?'

Today's situation is, all told, complete chaos. In an attempt to free up more prison places, inmates have been released early — only for almost 30,000 such offenders to end up back in prison in 2023 alone.

Matters have become so bad that a leaked memo from the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) last month revealed constables were being asked to pause 'non-priority arrests' to ease pressure on the prison system.

It is inconceivable to me that the British police should be ordered to neglect their duties because the State ­cannot house offenders.

In my opinion, the impending collapse of the criminal justice system is one of the most pressing concerns for whoever wins the upcoming General Election.

When I was Home Secretary, I had oversight of criminal justice. Today, however, that responsibility lies with the Ministry of Justice, founded in 2007.

Therefore, this ­Herculean task is likely to fall to the current Shadow ­Justice Secretary, Shabana ­Mahmood, should Labour win, as is widely predicted.

In order to tackle the ­problem, I recommend she begins with four key strategies.

First, deal with the court backlog by reintroducing the 'Nightingale' courts first seen during Covid. These were additional, temporary ­courtrooms established to alleviate pressure on the ­system during the pandemic.

Second, we need proper, professional management of the court system. Currently, judges are expected to serve as administrators — not a role for which they are properly trained. Instead, we need a team of logistics experts who can get the system moving by scheduling trials efficiently to maximise court capacity.

Third, rather than attempting to build new large prisons, money should be spent on establishing smaller, more realistic units.

The current government had planned to build 10,000 more prison places. A whole variety of reasons, including not obtaining ­planning ­permission, has resulted in fewer than 300 becoming available.

The way around this is to create a large number of smaller units rather than a small number of high-­capacity ones. These smaller prisons should house men and women being held on remand, pre-trial. Remember, some of these inmates will later be found not guilty of an alleged crime.

Providing these people with a secure but very different environment from a traditional prison would not only be the civilised thing to do, but also prevent them falling into the terrible trap of self-abuse and hopelessness which befalls so many who join the prison system.

Finally, the next Justice Secretary must address ­reoffending. If we don't ­rehabilitate offenders, that shocking figure of almost 30,000 prisoner recalls will only grow year on year. We all, surely, want to ensure that when people come out of prison, they find a job, they are helped to rebuild their lives and don't slip back into their old ways.

On release, most prisoners are supervised by a probation officer and given limited help to find housing and work, and apply for any relevant ­benefits. Unfortunately, this service, known as 'Resettlement' is badly overstretched.

The probation service must now be supported at a local level. Former inmates have served their time. They need to be met on the outside by a network of support rather than face immediate ­destitution and an imminent return to prison.

From help with drug and alcohol addiction, to housing away from the area where they first fell into trouble, through to day-to-day ­support from voluntary and community groups as well as professional services: joint action is needed.

Importantly, no one should blame the probation service for current failings. It is widely believed across the political spectrum, including by some in the current government, that the changes made to the probation service and its ­privatisation in 2013 was one of many ­catastrophic errors made by the now-departing former cabinet minister, Christopher Grayling.

I have recently been able, with cross-party support, to gain amendments to the ­Victims and Prisoners Bill —which gained Royal Assent ten days ago.

This includes an action plan to help prisoners get back into the community and avoid an early return to jail.

I can only hope that the incoming government takes up this battle and makes it a major priority of their time in office.

Ultimately, failing to ­support prison-leavers leads to ­revolving cell doors. This not only fails to keep the public safe, but also does nothing to reduce the overwhelming pressure on our flailing prison service.

Lord Blunkett was Home Secretary for three and a half years between 2001 and 2004.