Our democracy is underpinned by law and order and in order for the country to function coherently, there needs to be sufficient infrastructure that keeps the people of Britain safe from criminals.

Anything less than that is a political failure of great magnitude. And this Government has failed when it comes to ensuring there is enough capacity to lock away criminals.

This Government has talked and continues to talk tough when it comes to crime but it has not walked the walk.

It’s one thing espousing rhetoric about being tough on crime but that then needs to be accompanied with enough prison capacity to prevent the situation that the country finds itself in where the sentencing of convicted criminals currently on bail will have to be delayed.

A general view of prison staff at a Category C prison in Leicester. PIC: Jacob King/PA Wire

Rapists and burglars could be among those whose sentencing is put off, according to reports.

Rather than denying this, Government Minister Steve Barclay simply acknowledged there is “huge pressure” on the prison system.

The Government cannot claim to have not seen this coming. The warning signs have been there for some time. Dr Alan Billings wrote a few months ago about how politicians needed to address the rising prison population.

The UK’s prison population has increased since the Covid pandemic. There are now 88,016 prisoners. Yet as of October 6, capacity across the whole prison estate stood at 88,667. The numbers clearly point to a prison system in crisis.

Richard Miller, head of justice at the Law Society of England and Wales, says: “The prison spaces crisis is a consequence of the Government’s approach to justice including over a decade of underfunding.”

But it’s not just about building more prisons. A greater emphasis on intervention is also needed.

Pressures on prison system are a result of Government failures - The Yorkshire Post says