Government allocates £110m to convert prison spaces into new cells amid overcrowding crisis

The Ministry of Justice has earmarked £110 million, drawn from already-approved budgets, to convert underused prison facilities such as offices, laundry rooms and storage areas into additional cells across England and Wales. Justice Secretary Alex Norris described the initiative as a way to quickly add thousands of places for dangerous criminals and improve public safety, noting that more than 3,200 prison places have been added in the past two years.

This spending forms part of a larger capital investment of £7 billion aimed at delivering 14,000 new prison places by 2031. Alongside the construction effort, the government will present sentencing reforms intended to curb early releases of high-risk offenders, including measures to expedite the removal of foreign nationals and end IPP sentences. Shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy criticized the plan, highlighting a recent drop of 700 prison places and warning that early release schemes could free thousands of dangerous inmates. An additional £18.9 million will be redirected to victim support services, supplementing the existing £550 million allocation.