The MoJ has had to bring forward the use of 567 new prison cells that were earmarked to open at the end of this month to cope with the extra demand on prison space
As of Friday, more than 300 people have been remanded into custody for their role in the violent disorder that erupted after the Southport stabbings on July 29, with 460 arrests.
Many more are expected to be arrested and charged as police leaders have vowed to track down offenders for “as long as it takes”.
Mark Fairhurst, the chairman of the Prison Officers’ Association, warned that it would have a knock-on effect throughout the criminal justice system.
On Sunday, he said: “This is all a result of the rioters. Last week we had the biggest influx of new receptions I’ve seen for quite some time. We had 397 new receptions. As of Friday, we only had 340 spaces left in the adult closed male estate, which is feeling the most pressure.”
He said the move would put pressure on police forces, adding: “You’re now clogging up police cells, so they haven’t got the power to arrest people and put them away in a police cell. It has a massive knock-on effect on the entire criminal justice system.”
Nev Kemp, of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said: “We are working closely with criminal justice system partners to manage demand in the system and ensure that the public are safe.
“Policing will continue to arrest anyone that they need to in order to keep the public safe, including policing protests and events and ensuring that people are arrested as expected.”
It comes ahead of the launch of an early release scheme to tackle overcrowding. From September 10, thousands of prisoners will start being released 40 per cent of the way through their sentence rather than half way through.
It is expected to reduce the number of prisoners by some 5,500 to provide a breathing space for a major review of sentencing and for new jails to come on line.
