Prisoner release plans anger MP

Published on 21st June 2007 in News

Howden MP David Davis has slammed proposals to release up to 2,000 prisoners - while a local firm has come up with a solution to the overcrowded prisons.

Reacting to the suggestion that Lord Falconer will announce the early release of some non-violent inmates, the Shadow Home Secretary and Haltemprice and Howden MP David Davis said: "This is disgraceful and a direct consequence of the government's absolute failure to deal with the crises in our prisons.

"It is bad enough that the British public have been paying the £1m a week bill of keeping offenders in court cells - now we see they are going to pay with their safety."

Details of the scheme have still to be confirmed but it is understood that drug-dealers, burglars and fraudsters who are coming to the end of their sentences could be freed.

The suggestion has been made in an attempt to reduce the prison population, which now stands at more than 81,000.

The Prison Officers' Association has also condemned the proposals, saying: "They are a quick fix with no lasting benefits to the service or society.

"It seems that the government are now considering giving prisoners a 'get out of jail free' card."

Meanwhile, Gilber-dyke-based firm Brits-pace believes it has come up with a viable solution to the problem, in the form of modular cells.

The cells, with steel frames and lining, are being manufactured at the Broad Lane factory.

They have already been tested by the SAS and have been deemed compliant by the Home Secretary.

Britspace's David Harris said that the main advantage was the speed with which the cells could be built.

The cells are easier to move around than the bricks and mortar version and a have a life of around 90 years.

"They [the government] are not going to build 8,000 cells unless they do something different," said Mr Harris.

"We've has a lot of interest in our cells."

A spokesperson for the company said they would not be used for category A prisoners.