Reducing the Prison Population

Abstract

A GREAT deal has been heard recently about the impending crisis in the prison system especially following Roy Jenkin's statement in July 1975 when he was Home Secretary that if the prison population rose to 42,000 then &dquo;conditions within the system would approach the intolerable and dramatic action to relieve the position would be inescapable&dquo;. Since he made that statement there have been reports of growing unrest in prisons both amongst staff and inmates which would seem to bear out the prediction.…