Reminders of Boris Johnson’s pledge to create another 10,000 places in our prisons have been making the rounds on social media today after judges were told not to send some convicted criminals to jail due to capacity issues.
Lord Edis, the senior presiding judge in England and Wales, has ordered, during a meeting with senior judges, that sentencing of convicted criminals who are currently on bail be delayed from Monday, The Times reported.
The newspaper said those spared being put behind bars could include those found guilty of burglary and rape.
The Times quoted an anonymous senior judge as saying that they had been “ordered/strongly encouraged” not to send to prison a defendant who appears before them on bail due to concerns that the prison system is at capacity.
The UK’s prison population has grown substantially since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and, according to the latest figures, there are now 88,016 prisoners locked up.
As of October 6, capacity across the whole prison estate stood at 88,667.
Clips of Johnson making a pledge to increase that by 10,000 have been making the rounds on social media today.
Here’s what the great man had to say:
Related: Documentary catches Mark Drakeford’s reaction to a meeting with Boris Johnson