UK Converting Prison Laundries to Cells Amid Capacity Crisis

The British government is moving to convert prison laundry rooms, offices, and storage cupboards into cells as part of an urgent effort to address a severe capacity crisis in the prison system. The plan, announced by Justice Secretary Alex Norris, will see hundreds of new places created by repurposing existing space within the prison estate. This measure comes as Prime Minister Andy Burnham has expanded the list of offenders excluded from an early release scheme, a decision that will keep an additional 1,400 prisoners behind bars and further strain available space. Norris is set to detail the changes in a statement to Parliament. He has emphasized that the conversions will be done creatively and without compromising the daily functioning of prisons. "There isn't, I have to say, lots and lots of sort of empty space. It is functional, but we're finding that balance between those day-to-day functions and the need to have enough places to convert them where we can into usable cell space," Norris told LBC. He added that the government would ensure prisons can still function properly.