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Over recent weeks, we have heard much talk about how   prison overcrowding has brought our criminal justice system to crisis point. 

Nacro’s Head of Policy and Service User Engagement, Andrea Coady, highlights the five key take-aways from the Sentencing Review’s report ‘History and Trends in Sentencing’ (published 18th February 2025).  The report outlines the current prison population overcrowding crisis and the drivers of this.  

Nacro looks forward to working with whichever party forms the next government to help ensure everyone has the chance to succeed and the support they need to fulfil their potential. Find out more.

“The recent Chief Inspector of Prisons report on HMP Wandsworth is a damning indictment of the state of our prisons’ amidst the overcrowding crisis. The report highlights alarming failings throughout HMP Wandsworth; from dangerous levels of overcrowding, to soaring rates of violence and squalid conditions reminiscent of a Victorian workhouse.

This week’s report from HM Chief Inspector of Prisons is a damning indictment of a prison system on its knees. This is a system that is failing in its most basic duty, to keep people safe from harm. Efforts to rehabilitate and prepare prison-leavers for release have been struggling under the weight of decades of under-investment, overcrowding and poor long-term planning.

Nacro looks forward to working with whichever party forms the next government to help ensure everyone has the chance to succeed and the support they need to fulfil their potential. Find out more.

Homelessness after prison is a real challenge for those looking to rebuild their lives. We provide help and support for those with a criminal record, but also champion the much needed reforms to our criminal justice system. Find out more.

This report looks at the physical health of people in prison and includes a survey of over a 100 recent prison leavers. The report addresses the impact of imprisonment on physical health, including the impact of overcrowding and unsanitary conditions, lack of purposeful activity and poor quality diets. We examine the problems and barriers to accessing healthcare services, including difficulties in accessing treatment and lengthy waiting lists, missed appointments, issues with medication, feeling ‘unseen’, and issues on transfer between prisons and on release.

The number of people leaving prison into homelessness has increased significantly in the past year. This is on average 800 people a month who go straight from prison to homelessness, most of those are rough sleeping.

Nacro comments on the Government extension their prisons’ early release scheme to allow people to leave prison up to 70 days before the end of their sentence.