Operation Early Dawn, the government’s latest plan to tackle prison overcrowding, sounds almost like a new beginning, a fresh start. But I imagine that’s not how it feels for people inside prison. Not for the ones in the cells, nor the officers unlocking them.
With male prisons in England at more than 99% capacity, this emergency measure to tackle overcrowding is urgent and necessary. It’s hard to see what other options the government has. Because an overcrowded prison is a dangerous one.
