Overcrowded UK jails force govt to plan renting prison space in foreign countries

The government in UK is reportedly planning to send convicted criminals in foreign countries to serve their time in rented prison cells as its own jails have become overcrowded. This came as Alex Chalk, Justice Secretary in the UK claimed that he has already started conversations to hire prison space in other countries. Official forecasts indicate that jails in England and Wales will be overcrowded by the end of the year, with 87,800 inmates. Renting foreign prison cells will necessitate a legal change. “Exploratory negotiations with potential European partners have already taken place and are ongoing,” a Tory official said. “Accords would mean that convicts in the United Kingdom might be transferred to another country’s prison estate if the facilities, regime, and rehabilitation provided met British requirements.” According to reports, several other European countries like Belgium and Norway have used the same method and relocated inmates to Netherlands. Chalk said at a Tory party conference that the government is aiming to rent space in Norway. He also claimed that the current government is doing more than anyone have ever done ‘since the Victorian era’ in terms of increasing prison space. “Along with our extra 20,000 jail places initiative, refurbishment of outdated prisons, and fast deployment cells, renting prison places in other countries will ensure that we always have enough room to keep the public safe from the most dangerous offenders,” said the government. According to the Conservatives, Belgium sent up to 650 inmates to the Netherlands between 2010 and 2016, while Norway sent a comparable amount between 2015 and 2018. The initiative, however, received criticism from Pia Sinha, chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust. She called it a “half-baked idea” and asked for criminals to be released instead. “Prison leaders would be dismayed by such a shallow answer to their very serious and pressing problems,” she said. “For several months, the red warning light of an impending capacity crisis has been blinking on the prison service monitor. Ministers cannot claim that they were not warned,” she added. She concluded by saying that the government must urgently present practical plans to relieve pressure on the system, including the executive release of some prisoners. The dangers of not doing so are too great to overlook.