Conclusion 23

The Ministry indicated its greatest concern was the impact on prisons, with some projections resulting in a “very substantial increase in the prison population” requiring a prison building and maintenance programme “bigger than anything that has happened in recent years.” The Ministry refused to share its estimates of the impact of increased police numbers on the prison population due to the inherent uncertainty, but confirmed that 43 Q 126 44 Qq 8–9 45 Ev xx submission from Equality and Human Rights Commission page 3 46 Q 123 47 Q 124 48 Q 45 14 Transforming Courts and Tribunals: progress review sentencing reforms would increase the prison population by 2,000 by 2030. It also shared concerns about the capacity of the probation system to cope with increased demand given it is in the midst of significant reform.49