JAILS FLOODED BY RISE IN PRISONERS

THE growing prison population has led to a return of overcrowding in
Britain's jails, according to a report published today by penal reformers.
Six out of 10 prisons have too many inmates, with some holding nearly
twice as many prisoners as they were designed for, says the Howard
League. Much of the overcrowding is in local jails, where inmates tend
to be those awaiting sentence or transfer to other facilities. Such
prisons are often housed in Victorian buildings on cramped city-centre
sites.

According to the Howard League, Shrewsbury jail is under greatest
pressure, with 335 inmates in a prison designed to hold 182. It is
followed by Northallerton remand centre, Exeter local/remand centre,
Canterbury local and Preston local. Frances Crook, director of the
Howard League, said: "Prisons are desperately over-full. With prison
numbers continuing to spiral out of control, overcrowding can only get
worse."

However, Joyce Quin, the Prisons Minister, said the Government was
aware of the pressures and was taking practical steps to alleviate the
problem. An extra £112 million had been allocated to the Prison
Service to increase capacity and make necessary repairs to buildings.

Richard Tilt, director-general of the Prison Service, said: "Levels of
overcrowding are a continuing source of concern, but it is the
service's duty to provide accommodation for everyone who is committed
by the courts."

* Prison officers will today be offered their own pay review body if
they accept a continued ban on their right to strike. Jack Straw, the
Home Secretary, will tell the Prison Officers' Association that the
Government is not prepared to reverse the 1994 Tory legislation
outlawing strikes in jails but that he is ready to offer them a number
of options.

Checked-by: trikydik@inil.com (trikydik)