The cost of housing a convicted #criminal in #prison in #England and #Wales has exceeded £50,000 a year. @CrimeLineLaw

The cost of housing a convicted criminal in prison in England and Wales has exceeded £50,000 a year, surpassing the annual fees for a pupil at Eton College. The rising number of offenders being jailed has led to an annual billof over £4bn for running prisons, while the Ministry of Justice is projected to run out of space within weeks, with just 2,000 spaces remaining out of an operational capacity of 88,890.

The demand for prison places is expected to rise by up to 25,000 in four years due to longer prison sentences and increased police presence. The average cost of accommodating a prisoner in England and Wales was £51,724 per year, an 11.4% increase from the previous year.

The figures come after Alex Chalk, the Justice Secretary, introduced measures to reduce the prison population, including the release of prisoners up to 60 days before they are due to be freed.

The Daily Telegraph