Written questions

Prisons: Overcrowding

Commons · Question 2825 · Tabled 19 May 2026 · Ministry of Justice · Official record

Answered 29 May 2026

Question

Asked by Lee Anderson

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of overcrowding in prisons on (a) prisoner violence and (b) attacks on prison staff.

Answer

Answered by Jake Richards, 29 May 2026

We recognise that crowding can make it harder to deliver safe, stable regimes and places additional pressure on staff. Analysis published by the department shows that prisoners in crowded cells are more likely to be involved in assaults than those not in ...