According to the BBC report: Justice Secretary Jack Straw has defended conditions at two jails in Lancashire, after a report about prison overcrowding in England and Wales.
"The Prison Reform Trust said two-thirds of jails were over capacity. Lancaster Prison had 70 too many inmates and HMP Preston 300 too many, its report found".
"Mr Straw, who heads the government department responsible for the Prison Service, claimed the figures did not reflect the workable capacity a prison could hold".
Straw claimed: "We have increased prison capacity, we have done it in Preston and Lancaster last year and are doing so in the next 12 months".
Jack Straw has increased capacity by overcrowding which has only made tolerable conditions become intolerable. To claim those jails which are overcrowded can still be strained even further to reflect what he terms the "workable capacity" is being economical with the truth. Jack Straw is playing the numbers game. The working capacity is the Certified Normal Accommodation figure. For Preston it is 453 but is holding 757 which means it is 167% overcrowded. For Lancaster it is 159 but is holding 232 which means it is 146% overcrowded.
In short, contrary to what the BBC is reporting Jack Straw has not defended conditions in Preston and Lancaster. Given that the BBC accepts Jack Straw is the Minister responsible, why don't they ask him to defend overcrowding in accordance with s.14(2) of the Prison Act 1952? There is statutory authority for Certified Normal Accommodation, but no lawful power exists for this fictional "workable capacity" unless it means the CNA. And, as shown, the facts are that the prisons are holding far more prisoners than they are legally allowed to hold. Jack Straw is breaking the law. Why is the BBC cowardly allowing Jack Straw to get away with fobbing them off?
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