Jails were declared absolutely full last night for the first time in history. (Daily Mail Friday 22nd February 2008)
Even court and police cells were packed as the number of prisoners rose to 82,068 - almost 100 above the official safety limit.
The crisis is expected to trigger the early release of thousands of muggers, burglars and other convicts. In a desperate attempt to buy time, Jack Straw begged magistrates to imprison fewer offenders
The Justice Secretary said the courts were giving short jail terms when community punishments would be better. But magistrates refused point-blank to help him out of the shambles - saying they would continue to hand down whatever sentence they saw fit. The Magistrates' Association said it did not react kindly to being placed under "pressure" by ministers.
Tory spokesman Nick Herbert said: "The prison system is now in genuine crisis. This is not the fault of magistrates but the result of sheer incompetence by this Government." The scope of the crisis was revealed in a Ministry of Justice statement that the number of inmates had reached an all-time high of 82,068. The total operational capacity - based on governors' advice on what is safe for "control, security and proper operation" - is only 81,972, including more than 350 places in police cells and courts.
In a bid to get through the weekend, inmates jailed yesterday were crammed into prison spaces normally considered out of bounds by governors. But next week even this overspill is likely to be exhausted.