Prison Population 'Should be Cut' by Third, say MPs

The number of inmates in England and Wales' jails should be cut by a third according to the cross-party Justice Committee.  The committee said the government's current £4.2bn prison building plan is a "costly mistake"

and that millions of pounds could be diverted from the prison system into improving local public services that had a more direct affect on cutting offending, including education and drug addiction programmes.

The MPs said: "We are worried that the government seems to accept the inevitability of a high and rising prison population and remains committed to building larger prisons. We are convinced that prison building on this scale will prove a costly mistake."

For more info:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8457554.stm

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmjust/94/9402.htm