Is the prison system fit for purpose?
Thu, Apr 16 2026 01:27
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Is the Prison System Fit for Purpose?
Saturday 25th April
2.00 pm - 4.00 pm
Map Room, Cherry Red's Cafe Bar, 88-92 John Bright Street, Birmingham, B1 1BN
Tickets £5 plus booking fee from EventBrite
The prison system in England and Wales is in a very bad place. Buildings are crumbling, some dangerously so. Levels of violence, self-harm and drug use are shockingly high, and educational opportunities for prisoners are becoming more limited due to long waiting lists for courses, which in turn increases the lack of purpose for prisoners while they are serving their sentence.
Added to this decline are cuts to prison officer numbers implemented by the coalition government as part of their austerity programme in the early 2010s. These have still not been reversed despite an ever-expanding prison population. These cuts meant that a lot of new and inexperienced prison officers took their place, lacking the training to deal with serious incidents within prisons.
The increase in the prison population became so serious that between September 2024 and June 2025, around 40,000 prisoners were released early as part of an emergency scheme by the current Labour government to ease overcrowding.
What is the future of prisons in the UK? Do prisons actually work as a form of rehabilitation, especially with the prison estate and system in a state of seemingly continuous deterioration?
Speaker
Paula Harriott is the CEO of Unlock, an independent charity based in the UK that campaigns for the equality of reformed offenders. She has also worked with the Prisons Reform Trust.
Chair
Chris Akers
Reading
Nearly 40,000 prisoners released early under government scheme
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c93x001ve9ko
Prisons: still we build them and still we fill them
https://thecriminaljusticeblog.com/2024/10/20/prisons-still-we-build-them-and-still-we-fill-them/
Prison conditions worsen sharply in England and Wales
https://www.ft.com/content/f677a448-4fd1-4612-8f96-0faaa4c52542?syn-25a6b1a6=1
Chris Akers
Reading
Nearly 40,000 prisoners released early under government scheme
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c93x001ve9ko
Prisons: still we build them and still we fill them
https://thecriminaljusticeblog.com/2024/10/20/prisons-still-we-build-them-and-still-we-fill-them/
Prison conditions worsen sharply in England and Wales
https://www.ft.com/content/f677a448-4fd1-4612-8f96-0faaa4c52542?syn-25a6b1a6=1
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