‘Jails across UK are close to bursting’

The prison population in England and Wales was numbered 87,583 on Friday, with just 600 short of the record set in December, according to Hardwick, who said jails needed 1,700 more prisoners to become totally full.

The top inspector blamed tough sentences handed to those who were arrested during last summer’s unrests for the recent rise in prisons’ population.

“We are asking prisons to do a very difficult thing by slashing spending and at the same time telling them to do more to prevent reoffending”, Hardwick told the Financial Times.

In other news, meanwhile, judges were reported to be giving bail to hardened criminals with hundreds of convictions – including bail breaches.

According to a report, one thug walked free despite having 382 previous convictions and cautions.

The thug’s catalogue of offences included 125 of failing to surrender to bail, the report said.
“He breached his bail yet again, was convicted for the 383rd time – and was still not locked up”, added the report.

Shock figures obtained by The Sun also revealed bail was granted to a criminal with 304 convictions and cautions – 60 for breaking his bail. He promptly broke his bail conditions yet again but he was not jailed either.

The figures from Kenneth Clarke’s Ministry of Justice were uncovered by Tory MP Philip Davies through Parliamentary questions.

“It’s simply astonishing. These are the cases that drive the police mad”, he said.

“They catch a criminal, he’s let out on bail, he breaches his bail, he’s hauled back to court and the judge gives him bail again”, he added.

“The only people who benefit from this pathetically lax regime are the criminals.” It was revealed earlier this year that one in 11 murders is committed by bailed bandits. They are responsible for an offence every four minutes.

MOL/JR/HE

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