Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Rejected
Paragraph: 12
Increasing remand population and prolonged custody periods pose serious concern
Conclusion
We are concerned by the increasing size of the remand population, and in particular by evidence of the increasing length of time people are spending in custody on remand. Efforts need to be focused on reducing this population and bringing forward the hearing dates of trials. A significant proportion of defendants held on remand will be found not guilty, and so it is vital that they are not deprived of their liberty for long periods of time. For those found guilty and given a custodial sentence, they should be progressing on to sentence planning to prepare them for release, rather than waiting long periods of time for their sentence to be passed. The need for efforts to reduce the population are particularly pressing now, given the current capacity crisis in the prison system, and the recent activation of Operation Safeguard to allow the temporary use of up to 400 police cells to hold prisoners, with the growing remand population given as a reason for increased demand on prison spaces.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government rejected the recommendation for a rapid evidence review, stating that work is already underway to consider evidence and risks, and the impact on the remand population is modelled in existing prison population projections.
Paragraph Reference:
12
Government Response
The government responded to this report on 31 March 2023. No passage in that response could be matched to this conclusion. Read the response document ↗