On 22 November PRT released the latest edition of our Bromley Briefings: Prison Factfile. It provides a detailed picture of the state of our overcrowded prison system and the now almost 80,000 men, women and children who live in it. The facts and figures in the briefing endorse the need to address ever-rising prison numbers, not as a storage problem, but as a social and economic disaster urgently requiring cross-party and cross-departmental solutions. PRT is particularly concerned that, given the emphasis on law and order measures in the Queen’s Speech, every effort is made to heal the divide between social and criminal justice policy. Copies were mailed to MPs and Peers to inform debate in Parliament. You can download a PDF by clicking on the link below.

The ‘Bromley Briefings’ are produced in memory of Keith Bromley, a valued friend of PRT and allied groups concerned with prisons and human rights. His support for refugees from oppression, victims of torture and the falsely imprisoned has made a difference to many people’s lives. The Prison Reform Trust is grateful to the Bromley Trust for supporting the production of this briefing paper.