The Ministry of Justice announced that Justice Secretary Shabanah Mahmood will issue a warning today that the legal system is “on the brink of total collapse” and that this puts “the public at risk of unchecked criminality on our streets.”
If the prison crisis spreads to policing, a senior source in law enforcement has cautioned of a “intolerable” situation “which may impact on the behaviour of criminals”.
Prisoners are housed at police facilities when prison rooms are not available.
Additionally, the administration is anticipated to outline the consequences and outlook for a contentious early release.
This allows certain offenders to be freed up to 70 days before the end of their sentence.
There are concerns that criminals could take advantage of the lack of space in prisons, by committing crimes they would not usually, such as looting.
“That would be a very serious situation to get into and unchartered territory that we need to avoid at all costs”, the source has warned.
There are currently fewer than 700 spaces available across the male estate in England and Wales.
