THE Prison Officers Association (POA) has said government plans to free up prison space are a short-term solution to a long-term problem.

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk vowed to deport more foreign criminals, transition away from short sentences in favour of community punishments and review the now-abolished Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences.

He said that he would look “at options to curtail the licence period” for IPP sentences — designed to prevent serious offenders who did not warrant a life sentence from being released while posing a danger to the public.

The government would also let some prisoners out of jail up to 18 days early to ease overcrowding, with exceptions for serious sentences, and that it will legislate to allow prisoners to be held in overseas prisons and review the incentives around early guilty pleas.

POA national chairman Mark Fairhurst said: “This is just another example of a short-term solution to a long-term problem. HM Prisons and Probation Service will be in the same situation in the future when these anticipated 200 spaces are swallowed up by the system. 

“Despite our members being treated with contempt by this government and our employer, they are loyal, resourceful and resilient.

“Why does the employer or the government refuse to engage with us on this problem, instead introducing one more hair brained scheme after another?”

POA general secretary Steve Gillan said: “Anybody could see that the closure of prisons, tougher sentencing, increased recruitment in police forces, the failure to implement reforms for female prisoners and the failure to tackle the legacy of IPP sentences would ultimately lead us to the chaos that we are now facing in regard to prison capacity.”