Why does Britain have such a high prison population?
Richard Garside argues that it is the way we organise society, not the levels of crime, that is the strongest influence on our prison numbers.
prison population
Reducing the numbers in custody: looking beyond criminal justice solutions
At a time of spending cuts and continued increases to inequality, a new report argues the prison population is likely to rise further, despite the coalition's expressed aim to contain and manage prison numbers. Reducing the numbers in custody argues that the key levers for reducing record high prison numbers are located in wider social and economic policy and not in changes to community sentences or reforms to criminal justice policy.
