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Prison reform plan to be unveiled Straw aims for cut in reoffending
(about 8 hours later)
Justice Secretary Jack Straw is due to announce prison reform measures aimed at reducing the rate of reoffending. The justice secretary has said fresh prison reforms will cut reoffending rates, reduce drug use in jails and give more skills to offenders.
He will outline plans to encourage criminals to undertake behaviour programmes and to learn new skills. Jack Straw said he wanted to press ahead with three huge "Titan" prisons - one each in south-east England, the north-west and the West Midlands.
In return, they would be expected to meet certain standards of behaviour inside and outside prison. Criminals would also be encouraged to go on behaviour programmes, he said.
He will also confirm the government is trying to find sites for the huge Titan prisons in south-east and north-west England and the West Midlands. In return they would be expected to meet certain standards of behaviour inside and outside prison.
On Wednesday, he suggested that the huge 2,500-place jails might not go ahead because the government did not have planning permission for them. On Wednesday, Mr Straw suggested that the "Titan" jails might not go ahead because the government did not have planning permission for them.
Drug searches "We're not going to have large warehouses as they have in the United States and indeed France," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme, prompting suggestions of a government U-turn.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We're not going to have large warehouses as they have in the United States and indeed France" - prompting suggestions of a government U-turn. But later Prime Minister Gordon Brown said they would be built, after consultation.
But later Prime Minister Gordon Brown said they would go ahead, after consultation. Removing 'barriers'
Mr Straw is due to unveil plans in a written statement to MPs later. Mr Straw said in a written statement that the government's plans signalled "a major drive to overcome some of the barriers to the rehabilitation of offenders".
The BBC's Danny Shaw said ministers were also to look at the possibility of more rigorous drugs searches in prisons, and whether prisoners should lose visiting rights if they fail drug tests. Providing enhanced vocational training to prisoners is instrumental in helping offenders turn away from crime Jack Straw
"Our primary aim in doing so is further to aid the work we are already doing on cutting reoffending," Mr Straw said.
"These measures are focused on tackling drug use among offenders and providing opportunities for offenders to learn the new skills which might help them to a life away from crime outside prison."
A project to train prisoners in installing voice and data cabling was to begin at Wandsworth Prison in south-west London involving companies including Cisco, Bovis Lend Lease and Panduit, Mr Straw said.
"Providing enhanced vocational training to prisoners is instrumental in helping offenders turn away from crime, and giving them back a sense of stability, discipline and responsibility."
Targeting drugs
Ministers will consider further measures to reduce the supply of drugs into prisons, such as reviewing the way visits were conducted and more rigorous searches, including an increase in the number of specially trained dogs to detect drugs.
And more of those serving sentences of less than a year would be given "community-based punishments" rather than spells in prison, combining unpaid work, behaviour programmes and electronic monitoring, all of which would be intensively supervised.
Mr Straw said criminals needed to show certain standards of behaviourAnother six such projects would be introduced over the next three years, Mr Straw added.
He said there would also be "a competition for a new prison ship" and added that a consultation had begun for a new jail at the former RAF Coltishall airfield in Norfolk.
Last year the prison population hit a record high of more than 81,000, and that figure is predicted to carry on growing, but Mr Straw said that under Labour crime had fallen and the number of prison places provided had risen by 20,000.Last year the prison population hit a record high of more than 81,000, and that figure is predicted to carry on growing, but Mr Straw said that under Labour crime had fallen and the number of prison places provided had risen by 20,000.
There are currently 1,200 spare places, with an additional 1,000 coming on stream in April and 2,600 during 2008.There are currently 1,200 spare places, with an additional 1,000 coming on stream in April and 2,600 during 2008.
Earlier this week Mr Straw announced plans to merge the Prison Service with other parts of the justice system.Earlier this week Mr Straw announced plans to merge the Prison Service with other parts of the justice system.
It followed criticism of the National Offender Management Service (Noms) which was set up partly to tackle rates of reoffending, by joining up different parts of the criminal justice system.It followed criticism of the National Offender Management Service (Noms) which was set up partly to tackle rates of reoffending, by joining up different parts of the criminal justice system.