Conservative Reform About Prison (CRAP)

Conservative Reform About Prison (CRAP)

"The previous Conservative Government had built seventeen new prisons in the 1990s ... In March 1997, the Conservative Government was able to promise three new prisons and 2,030 new prison places within six months and a further 6,000 to be provided within the next three years...Nevertheless, when Labour came to power, in May 1997 prisons were already holding 7 per cent more prisoners than the cells available were intended to hold" (Tory party policy document).

17 new prisons under the last Tory administration and still they left the Labour administration with at least 7% overcrowded prisons.

Now the Tory solution is to build even more prisons, to reduce the prison population.

And, it intends letting private prison contractors build and operate these new prisons. For these private prison contractors to make profit they are dependent upon prison capacity not being reduced by reforms and rehabilitation of prisoners. If the Tory party is really interested in reducing crime by reducing the prison population, why does it estimate an increase in profits for the private prison contractors at the taxpayers expense?

Projected profits for the private prison business for the years 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 under the Tory party:

2013 £27M

2014 £83M

2015 £140M

2016 £199M

2017 £259M

With such high profits up for grab, it has to be asked if the Tory party has a undeclared interest in not favouring rehabilitation of prisoners because crime reduction which would benefit the majority is at odds with making profits for a minority of businessmen and companies.