The prison system in England is poised for big change, as authorities are planning to shutter four individual jails and concentrate the inmate population at one massive facility, a super-prison in northern Wales.
The four jails are set to close in March. A facility that houses youth offenders will also be replaced, BBC reported.
The new facility will house more than 2,000 inmates and provide another 1,000 jobs to the nearby communities. It’s supposed to solve England’s inmate population problem, as newly released figures indicate about a quarter of the nation’s jails are overcrowded.
Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said the construction plan would also bring badly needed modernization to the prison system.
“Of course, the reorganization of our prison estate which we are undertaking means some difficult decisions,” he said in the BBC report “But we have to make sure that we have modern, affordable prisons that give the best opportunity for us to work with offenders to stop them committing more crimes when they leave.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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