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New 'super-prisons' to be built New 'super-prisons' to be built
(about 1 hour later)
Three "super-prisons" each housing about 2,500 offenders are to be built, Justice Secretary Jack Straw has said.Three "super-prisons" each housing about 2,500 offenders are to be built, Justice Secretary Jack Straw has said.
He told MPs a building and modernisation programme would provide an extra 10,500 prison places by 2014, bringing the total to 96,000. He told MPs a building and modernisation programme would provide 10,500 prison places by 2014, bringing the total to 96,000.
Ministers would look at recommendations that sentencing in England and Wales should be more closely linked to the number of jail places, Mr Straw added.Ministers would look at recommendations that sentencing in England and Wales should be more closely linked to the number of jail places, Mr Straw added.
The plans were announced as part of a major review of prison places. The plans were announced as part of a major review of prison overcrowding.
Prison ship Sentencing framework
The Justice Secretary told the Commons ministers would look at the recommendation that a new commission be created to link sentencing guidelines to the number of places available. The report, by Labour peer Lord Carter of Coles, looked at the prison system and the supply and demand of prison places.
Lord Carter of Coles, who carried out the review, recommended jail sentences in certain cases should be given only if there were empty cells - in a bid to balance demand with supply. Mr Straw told the Commons one of the proposals to set up a Sentencing Commission, which will be considered by ministers, had "nothing to do with linking individual sentences to the availability of correctional resources".
READ LORD CARTER'S REPORT Securing the future [534KB] Most computers will open this document automatically, but you may need Adobe Reader Download the reader hereREAD LORD CARTER'S REPORT Securing the future [534KB] Most computers will open this document automatically, but you may need Adobe Reader Download the reader here
Instead, the commission would look at the overall sentencing framework in relation to the prison population, he said.
The building programme would cost an extra £1.2bn on top of the current £1.5bn, Mr Straw said.The building programme would cost an extra £1.2bn on top of the current £1.5bn, Mr Straw said.
Prison ship
One of the so-called Titan jails, which will be larger than any prison currently used in Britain, will be in service by 2012.One of the so-called Titan jails, which will be larger than any prison currently used in Britain, will be in service by 2012.
The other two are expected to be built by 2014.The other two are expected to be built by 2014.
Mr Straw said the Ministry of Justice was also looking for a prison ship. HAVE YOUR SAY I feel that "super-prisons" will just result in more professional criminals Dave Mudie, Edinburgh class="" href="http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=3895&edition=2&ttl=20071205093811">Send us your comments He suggested they should be built in London, the West Midlands and the north-west of England.
Further plans were announced to convert a former Ministry of Defence site at Coltishall in Norfolk into a Category C prison. Mr Straw said short and medium-term measures to increase capacity included the possibility of a prison ship and converting a former Ministry of Defence site at Coltishall in Norfolk into a Category C prison.
Mr Straw also said the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill would be amended to introduce a minimum tariff of two years for those imprisoned for public protection. He also announced the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill would be amended to introduce a minimum tariff of two years for those imprisoned for public protection.
They will allow for a rational debate on sentencing which recognises that as with any other public service, resources are finite Jack Straw, Justice Secretary
He said: "The measures I have announced today will fulfil our aims in this very important area. They will bring many more prison places on stream with agreed funding and a delivery programme.
"They will allow for a rational debate on sentencing which recognises that, as with any other public service, resources are finite.
"And, above all, they will fulfil our commitment to provide a modernised prison system that protects the public from the most serious offenders."
Record high
Former Justice Secretary Lord Falconer had tasked Lord Carter with investigating the supply of prison places and demand for them in the short, medium and longer term.
Lord Carter consulted the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, Lord Phillips, who has also suggested linking resources to the setting of the sentencing framework.
The latest prison population figure for England and Wales show it has dropped to 81,455 from a record high earlier in November.
The Ministry of Justice says that, since Labour came to power in 1997, there are 20,000 more prison places - 3,100 of which were built in the last two years.