Sadiq Khan MP, Shadow Justice Secretary, commenting on reports from the Howard League for Penal Reform of the Government’s emergency measures to deal with staff shortages in prisons over Christmas, said:

“This prison crisis is a direct result of David Cameron’s government’s policies. The Chief Inspector warned about the crisis in our prisons and he was effectively sacked for daring to tell the truth. 

"Sensible planning in case of disturbances is an important part of managing the prison system. But what this revelation shows is that the number of prison officers is at dangerously low levels and Chris Grayling is having to take drastic measures to prevent a Christmas meltdown. But this is only a sticking plaster solution which is wasting taxpayers money. 

"More and more prisoners are squashed into fewer and fewer spaces, with less prison staff, leading to a surge in violence and suicides. In these conditions, there’s little hope of rehabilitating prisoners and it’s the public’s safety that will be put at risk as a result”

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