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The Theresa May-era Conservative former Home Secretary Amber Rudd is to chair a review for the Labour Government into prisons. Deputy Prime Minister and Lord Chancellor David Lammy, in charge of the Ministry of Justice, said: “We inherited a prison system in crisis, with overcrowded jails rife with violence, drugs and organised crime. Thanks to the dedication of prison staff and the action we have taken, the system is now on a more stable footing. โฏ But recovery is only the first step, not the final word. This independent review will help us tackle the deep-rooted problems facing our prisons and set out a long-term plan to build a safer, more resilient system that cuts crime, reduces reoffending and delivers punishment that works.”
POA comment
Steve Gillan General Secretary of the Prison Officers Association said that the POA wanted a Royal Commission or an independent inquiry into the whole criminal justice system, stating ‘there is little point doing prisons in isolation as different parts of the justice system are interconnected such as policing, probation, the court system and the infrastructure around diverting offenders away from prison. He said: “The criminal justice system is broken from end to end. Our members are tired of warm words, ministerial visits and glossy reports. They want investment. They want safe staffing levels. They want fair pay that reflects the dangers of the job.โ
Howard League
Andrew Neilson, Director of Campaigns at the Howard League for Penal Reform, a charity, said: โWith growing numbers of urgent notifications and ever-more critical inspection reports detailing dire conditions and increasing violence, this review into safety and security in our prisons is very welcome.
โHowever,ย the issue of safety and security in prisons will remain challenging so long as overcrowdingย in the systemย is tolerated.ย Tolerating overcrowdingย alsoย means tolerating more victims of crime when the systemย fails toย rehabilitate those people itย releases.ย To makeย mattersย worse, theย governmentโs own prison population projections suggestย a future administration will again face running out of cellsย in a few years, despite billions being spent on new prisonsย and the changes introduced by the Sentencing Act.
โWith a new teamย coming into Number 10, the government must lookย againย at reversing sentence inflation โ which is the root cause of the prison crisis. Aย truly transformational review must acknowledge this and address the fact that we cannot build our way out of these problems.ย Much more must be done to reduce prison numbersย in order toย create a sustainable systemย that is safer for all of us.โ
Labour called on another former Conservative minister, David Gauke, to chair a review into court sentencing, which reported in May 2025.
Amber Rudd said: “Prisons are fundamental to public safety. As Home Secretary, I saw the damage that terrorism, serious violence, and organised crime can cause to communities, and the importance of ensuring prisons do not become places where criminal behaviour is reinforced. This review will examine how we improve the security and safety of prisons, better protect staff, and strengthen the systemโs ability to reduce reoffending and keep the public safe.ย I look forward to working independently across government and with frontline staff to identify practical reforms that make prisons safer, more resilient and fit for the future.”
