Exeter Prison 'is fifth most crowded'

HMP Exeter, which is a category B prison, was built circa 1850

Exeter Prison is the fifth most overcrowded jail in the UK, according to the Prison Reform Trust (PRT).

HMP Exeter was built for 317 inmates but latest figures show it holds 530.

Geoff Dobson, from the PRT, said the category B prison was doing a "pretty good job" at coping with the prisoner numbers, but nationally more had to be done to stop prisoners reoffending.

The Prison Service said the current number of inmates was acceptable, but it was aiming to reduce crowding.

Mr Dobson said: "In practical terms, you've got two prisoners in single cells and you've got three prisoners in double cells."

'Prisoners languishing'

He added that nationally, reoffending rates tended to be high, particularly for short-sentence prisoners.

"At Exeter Prison last year the inspection showed almost 50% of prisoners were locked in their cells during the working day," he said.

"It should be a place where prisoners are in a disciplined routine, do work in the day and develop a work habit and we see too many prisoners languishing, locked-up and presumably learning about reoffending.

"Some of the most serious offenders need to be in prison, some of the petty offenders don't need to be there.

"We're not helping them or society by repeatedly locking them up."

A Prison Service spokesperson said: "All of our prisons provide acceptable levels of accommodation for prisoners, although some prisons hold more people than they were originally designed for.

"We are aiming to reduce the existence of crowding alongside reducing the cost of the prison estate."

The most overcrowded prison in England and Wales, according to official figures, is HMP Kennet in Liverpool.