Law Weblog

No Titan jails

Saturday 25 April 2009 at 8:10 am | In News | Post Comment

It has been widely reported that Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, has abandoned his flagship proposals for the 2,500-place jails because of the cost.

The total number of prison places will not be cut because the Government intends to build five smaller jails.

A plan to buy a prison ship with 450 places has also been abandoned, after building a traditional jail was found to be 25 per cent cheaper.

The Prison Reform Trust denounced the scheme as a “gigantic and costly mistake that others will live to regret”.

The Howard League for Penal Reform, said the plan was aimed at “delivering justice on the cheap”. Consultation on the proposals also revealed almost universal opposition to Titan jails.