Buckley Hall still overcrowded

Date published: 28 June 2007

Buckley Hall Prison is still seriously overcrowded despite promises that action would be taken to improve the overcrowding. This caused outrage over three months ago when it was revealed that the prison was hosting 30 inmates more than they had capacity for. The situation has got worse and Rochdale MP Paul Rowen says this will "inevitably lead to reoffending."

In November 2001 it was announced that the prison would re-role to a closed female training prison. The first female prisoners arrived in April 2002. As a result of population pressures in the male estate, it was decided to re-role the establishment back to a male category C prison in September 2005. The male prisoners began arriving on 5 December 2005.

Mr Rowen said: "I have raised the issue with Prison's Minister Gerry Sutcliffe and will be requesting an urgent meeting with whoever takes over - the tenth Prison's Minister in ten years.  These figures paint a picture of ongoing chronic and worsening prison overcrowding at Buckley Hall that will make it even harder to stop prisoners from reoffending.  Until we work out effective ways to turn prisoners away from crime, there is no way the prison system will be able to cope - Buckley Hall is a good example.

"This government has done so little to break the vicious cycle of reoffending and that is one reason why the situation is so bad at Buckley Hall.  The staff at the prison do an excellent job, albeit it under hugely difficult circumstances. 

"I will be calling on the Government to take action on this ongoing problem that is repeated the length and breadth of the country."

Buckley Hall is controlled by the Prison Service and is managed under a Service Level Agreement, monitored by the Compliance Monitor, reporting to the Regional Offender Manager, CCU and the Area Manager.