British Judges Told to Stop Jailing so Many Criminals - 01/25/07 10:17 PM
British Home Secretary John Reid has told judges to only put the most dangerous criminals in jail. The request is due to the prison system being largely filled to capacity.
According to the home office the move is only until the prison capacity is raised from 80,000 to 88,000 in a few months. 480 prisoners were kept in police cells this week due to lack of vacancies in prison and 176 cells deemed unfit will be filled.
The Prison Reform Trust director said the move had come too late and that "the Government's own scaremongering tactics have blocked prison beds with petty offenders, vulnerable women and children, addicts and the mentally ill."
Source
According to the home office the move is only until the prison capacity is raised from 80,000 to 88,000 in a few months. 480 prisoners were kept in police cells this week due to lack of vacancies in prison and 176 cells deemed unfit will be filled.
The Prison Reform Trust director said the move had come too late and that "the Government's own scaremongering tactics have blocked prison beds with petty offenders, vulnerable women and children, addicts and the mentally ill."
Source