Thread by @LittleGravitas

1/3

Good detail from Mark Day, Head of Policy at @PRTuk, on Tory '10K extra prison places + tougher sentences' pledge.

Taken with Gove's 2016 '10K more places' pledge, (only 3360 have been provided), you'd need 9K of this new pledge just to eliminate overcrowding.

[01:42]

@PRTuk 2/3

Part of "Prison works" philosophy, going back to Howard.

Prison pop = x 2 in last 30 yrs. Legis changes re sentencing drive judicial sentence inflation. This new pop pledge doesn't cover sentence increase.

Crime has decreased 20 y. Sentences longer. Pop rising...

[02:04]

@PRTuk 3/3

Europe's falling crime rates are pretty universal, but prison pop has also reduced. So, no evce that increased use of prison works to reduce crime.

In Eur, long sentences shorter than UK. Saves tax money. Less recidivism.

Mark Day then provides summary criticism.

[01:56]

@PRTuk PS:

Here's @johnestevens, Dep Pol Ed of *Daily Mail*, agreeing with some of the points Mark Day of @PRTuk has made:

- this money has been promised before, thrice

- @RobertBuckland admitted this morning that, of these only 3.5K places found

- planning permission, etc.

[00:43]

@PRTuk @johnestevens @RobertBuckland PSS

And here's @StigAbell on Sky last night saying much the same, before interrupted:

Johnson is now, through Priti Patel and others, pandering to the worst excesses of evidence-free Tory [thinking].

UK has the highest prison pop in EU.

Stop short prison sentences.

[01:00]