Nigel Farage’s proposal to establish temporary prisons for serious criminals has faced strong criticism. Justice minister Jake Richards, in an interview with The Mirror, expressed disappointment in the Reform leader’s lack of viable solutions to address the current prison crisis.
During a recent visit to HMP Feltham in West London, Mr. Richards dismissed Mr. Farage’s plan to allocate £5 billion for constructing new ‘Nightingale’ prisons. He emphasized that Reform’s approach of implementing temporary prisons is not suitable for housing dangerous offenders near communities.
In July, Mr. Farage announced a plan to construct five low-security prisons on Ministry of Defence (MOD) land if his party gains power, aiming to accommodate 12,400 “lower category offenders.” However, Mr. Richards pointed out that the public recognizes the challenges faced by Labour in managing prison overcrowding.
Reflecting on past statistics, Mr. Richards highlighted that the Conservative government left a situation where there were more individuals incarcerated than available prison spaces. He attributed the Tories’ decline in popularity to their handling of various issues, particularly the state of prisons and the criminal justice system.
The Justice Minister concluded by stating that tough decisions must be made to address the damage caused by previous administrations, and he believes the government’s commitment to resolving these issues will be understood and supported by the public.