Facts on Tap

A third of prisoners spend at least 22 hours a day locked in their cells[1]. Unsurprisingly, reoffending rates are high (50%)[2] and employment rates are low (20%)[3] after prison. Time in training and employment is TIME BETTER SPENT[4].    [1] The exact percentage of course fluctuates constantly and varies widely between different types of prison, this figure is our attempt at a reasonably accurate estimate across the board, based on the authoritative prison inspectorate reports see e.g. https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2017/10/Findings-paper-Living-conditions-FINAL-.pdf; https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2018/07/6.4472_HMI-Prisons_AR-2017-18_Content_A4_Final_WEB.pdf.  In some types of prison, such as those housing young adults and high security prisons, the figure is much higher.  In some types of prisons the...

Based on findings in the Prison Reform Trust's Bromley Briefings Prison Factfile (Winter 2022), prisoners who identify as LGBTQ+ endure verbal and physical abuse, sexual assault, intimidation, and alienation (1). Many individuals do not feel empowered to challenge certain discriminations because they feel "jokes and banter" are "normal" and accepted (2). Furthermore, many people who identify as LGBTQ+ are reluctant to share their sexual orientation for fear of reprisal and more abuse, and because of the insensitivity and lack of action by some in authority (1). As a result, LGBTQ+ prisoners are far too often drawn into a Cycle of Invisibility....

The government has pledged an extra £4 billion for use between 2020-2024 to deliver 18,000 additional prison places and create 4 new prisons (1), yet the National Audit Office found that there is no link between the prison population size and levels of crime (2). Seems like hazy logic to us.    https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prisons-courts-and-victim-services-will-benefit-from-spending-review-funding https://prisonreformtrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Winter-2022-Factfile.pdf (page 10, National Audit Office)