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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent

Criminals in England and Wales spared jail sentences because of overcrowding

Illustration showing silhouette of a prison officer looking in on a prisoner.
Latest figures published on Friday showed the prison population was 87,685, just below the ‘usable operation capacity’ of 88,314. Composite: Guardian Design/Alamy

Growing numbers of criminals in England and Wales are being spared jail sentences because of prison overcrowding amid warnings that the problem will get worse.

Judges and magistrates are giving people suspended sentences instead of immediate jail terms on the back of guidance that they should take into account the high prison population.

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