Victorian jails won’t reopen to ease prison overcrowding crisis as it would take too long to get them ready

MINISTERS have ruled out reopening Victorian jails to ease the prison overcrowding crisis.

They looked at reusing facilities such as Holloway in North London but decided it would take too long to get them ready, The Sun on Sunday understands.

PA:Press Association

Ministers have quickly dashed plans to reuse Victorian prison facilities to tackle overcrowding, pictured H.M Prison Holloway in North London[/caption]

Meanwhile, former Home Secretary David Blunkett will next week call for Labour to build mini prisons to house about 100 lags each and focus on rehabilitation.

He told The Sun on Sunday: “We’ve got to go on a prison- building blitz but there is no point doing the mega prisons. That will take too long.

“It is better to build smaller units across the country closer to where people are living.

“Then you don’t get bogged down waiting for planning permission for four or five years. You can do it within 18 months.”

On Friday, new Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said thousands of lags would be released early — some after 40 per cent of their sentences — beginning in September.

The most serious and violent offenders will remain locked up.

Ms Mahmood warned of a collapse of the prison system without urgent action to ease overcrowding.

She said: “The last government left us with a time-bomb, ticking away.

“So let me explain what happens if that bomb goes off.

“Soon, the courts would grind to a halt, unable to hold trials. The police would have to stop carrying out arrests.”