A prison charity has responded to a government spending report warning we can’t ‘build our way out of’ the prison crisis.

The Howard League for Penal Reform responded a report from the National Audit Office which criticised the previous government’s ambitious promise to expand prison capacity by 20,000 places by the mid-2020s as ‘unrealistic and not prioritised’.

That plan is now expected to be achieved not earlier than 2031, leaving the system bracing for a projected shortage of 12,400 places by the end of 2027. Costs are also expected to be at least £4.2 billion above original estimates.

In response to the report, Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.), Chief Executive of the Howard League, emphasised the futility of trying to ‘build our way out of the prison capacity crisis’. ‘The billions of pounds earmarked for building new prisons would be better invested in securing an effective and responsive probation service, working to cut crime in the community,’ she said, criticising the focus on building new prisons instead of addressing systemic issues.

She also highlighted the deterioration of the current prison estate, describing it as ‘unstaffed, falling apart, and failing to help people move on from crime.’

The Howard League’s Prison Watch initiative reports that, according to the Ministry of Justice’s own safety and decency guidelines, the prison estate should not hold more than 79,464 people. Yet, it currently houses 6,595 more than this threshold, placing immense pressure on infrastructure and staff.

The Howard League continues to call for urgent reform and investment in rehabilitation and community-based solutions, warning that expanding the prison estate risks exacerbating the crisis rather than resolving it.