Exporting prisoners to cost £200m

That could buy 600 places for 10 years — but it may cost ‘substantially’ more

Government plans to rent cells in foreign prisons could cost taxpayers more than £200 million over 10 years, the Ministry of Justice has estimated. For that expenditure, ministers believe it will be possible to buy 600 places. But they accept that the cost could be “substantially” higher. And they are working on the basis that no UK prisoner would be sent abroad before 2026.

This is the second in a series of pieces for my paying subscribers about selected provisions in the government’s criminal justice bill, which MPs are expected to debate next Tuesday. The first was published earlier this week. It seems a good day to start with spending.