The funding builds on the government’s previous announcements to transform the prison estate, totalling £2.75 billion, with up to £2.5 billion to provide 10,000 additional prison places and create modern, efficient jails that rehabilitate offenders, reduce reoffending and keep the public safe. A further £100 million will also bolster prison security, clamping down on the weapons, drugs and mobile phones that fuel violence, self-harm and crime behind bars. This is in addition to the £156 million for pressing maintenance announced at the weekend.
Justice Secretary, Rt Hon Robert Buckland QC MP, said: "This substantial investment will drive much needed improvements in our jails – providing our hardworking staff with the right conditions to do their jobs and creating a safe and decent environment that gives offenders hope to move away from a life of crime.
This government is spending £2.75 billion to transform the estate, with modern, efficient prisons that drive rehabilitation and reduce reoffending - ultimately protecting the public."
Work to deliver new prison places is already underway, with the construction of a new prison in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, Glen Parva in Leicestershire and a new houseblock at HMP Stocken in Rutland, which opened in June.
Plans to convert HMP Haverigg into an open jail with a doubled capacity by the end of the year are also progressing.
The £2.75 billion investment in the prison estate is part of a government-wide crack-down on crime which includes 20,000 more police officers on the streets and stronger sentences for those who commit the most serious crimes.