The shocking figures on inmates recalled to prison that reveal how perilously close to breaking point our justice system really is, by DAVID BLUNKETT

With 88,000 people locked up in England and Wales, there are now more in our prisons than serving full-time in the British Armed Forces.

In other words: the system is about to burst.

From prisoners languishing in pretrial detention without hope of a speedy trial to the horrific conditions inside and the reckless release of potentially dangerous prisoners to free up space, the path from justice to rehabilitation has gone completely off course.

So why are our prisons at breaking point? And more importantly, what can a new government do about it?

The problem ultimately stems from the serious backlog in our courts.

Last year, a total of 27,820 prisoners were recalled to prison for violating the conditions of their release – a 140 percent increase from 2022

About 16,000 prisoners are in pre-trial detention awaiting trial. That is more than 18 percent of the total prison population held in cells at taxpayer expense.

Meanwhile, recent reports from the Chief Inspector of Prisons have shown how unacceptable conditions are for those inside.

A governor of London’s Wandsworth Prison resigned after an inspection found prisoners living in squalor, locked up 22 hours a day, some in cells overrun with vermin.

Ian Acheson, himself a former prison governor, has also revealed that almost 50 percent of prisoners use drugs. If they weren’t on narcotics when they went in, they probably will be by the time they come out.

Shortly before Parliament closed in the run-up to next month’s general election, I put a formal question to Lord Bellamy KC, the Parliamentary Secretary of State, asking how many offenders had been recalled to prison in 2023 after their release.

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail, I can now reveal the shocking answer.

Last year, a total of 27,820 prisoners were recalled to prison for violating the conditions of their release. That’s an increase of 140 percent from 2022. A “breach” can be anything from continually missing appointments with a probation officer to being reported for drug use, drunkenness or disruptive behavior.

What has been the government’s latest response? To release certain prisoners early to free up cells. I’m afraid this amounts to pulling the plug while the tap is still running.

As of last month, when this plan was announced, I had my doubts. When I was Home Secretary, about 20 years ago, some people thought I was too tough on crime.

But everything I did was about maintaining public safety – a central pillar of the contract between state and citizen.

At every constituency operation or community meeting I attended, I heard the same thing: “How are you keeping me and my family safe?”

All in all, today’s situation is complete chaos. In a bid to free up more prison places, prisoners have been released early – almost 30,000 such offenders will end up back in prison in 2023 alone.

Things have gotten so bad that a leaked memo from the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) last month revealed officers were being asked to pause “non-priority arrests” to ease pressure on the prison system.

It is inconceivable to me that the British police would be ordered to neglect their duties because the state cannot accommodate offenders.

In my opinion, the looming collapse of the criminal justice system is one of the most pressing concerns for whoever wins the upcoming general election.

When I was Minister of the Interior, I oversaw criminal justice. Today, however, that responsibility lies with the Ministry of Justice, established in 2007.

Therefore, this enormous task will likely fall to the current Shadow Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, if Labor wins, as widely predicted.

To tackle the problem, I recommend she start with four key strategies.

Firstly, tackle the court backlog by reintroducing the ‘Nightingale’ courts first seen during Covid. These were additional, temporary courtrooms established to ease pressure on the system during the pandemic.

Secondly, we need good, professional management of the justice system. Currently, judges are expected to act as administrators, rather than a role for which they are properly trained. Instead, we need a team of logistics experts who can get the system moving by efficiently planning processes to maximize justice capacity.

Third, instead of trying to build new large prisons, money should be spent on building smaller, more realistic units.

The current government planned to build another 10,000 prison places. A host of reasons, including failure to obtain planning permission, have resulted in fewer than 300 becoming available.

The way around this is to create a large number of smaller units rather than a small number of high capacity units. These smaller prisons would house men and women held in pretrial detention awaiting trial. Remember, some of these prisoners will later be found not guilty of an alleged crime.

Providing these people with a safe but very different environment than a traditional prison would not only be the civil thing to do, but would also prevent them from falling into the terrible trap of self-abuse and hopelessness that befalls so many who join the prison system.

Finally, the next Minister of Justice must tackle recidivism. If we do not rehabilitate the perpetrators, the shocking figure of nearly 30,000 prisoners recalled year after year will only increase. We certainly all want to ensure that when people get out of prison, they find a job, are helped to rebuild their lives and do not fall back into their old habits.

The looming collapse of the criminal justice system is one of the most pressing concerns for whoever wins the next general election, writes David Blunkett.

On release, most prisoners are supervised by a probation officer and receive limited assistance in finding housing and employment, and in applying for relevant benefits. Unfortunately, this service, known as ‘Resettlement’, is seriously overloaded.

The probation service must now be supported at local level. Former prisoners have served their time. They should be welcomed from the outside by a network of support, rather than faced with immediate poverty and a threat of return to prison.

From help with drug and alcohol addiction, to housing away from the area where they first got into trouble, to day-to-day support from volunteer and community groups and professional services, collective action is needed.

Importantly, no one should blame the probation service for its current shortcomings. It is widely believed across the political spectrum, including by some in the current government, that the changes made to the probation service and its privatization in 2013 were one of many catastrophic mistakes made by the now outgoing former minister Christopher Grayling .

I recently secured, with cross-party support, amendments to the Victims and Prisoners Bill, which received Royal Assent ten days ago.

This includes an action plan to help prisoners re-enter the community and prevent premature returns to prison.

I can only hope that the new government will take up this fight and make it a major priority during their time in office.

Ultimately, not supporting prison leavers leads to revolving doors. This not only fails to ensure the safety of the public, but also does nothing to reduce the overwhelming pressure on our faltering prison services.

Lord Blunkett was Home Secretary for three and a half years between 2001 and 2004.