Judge gives new jails warning

The lord chief justice has said that new laws and a lack of cash have created a crisis in the prison system.

Lord Phillips, the most senior judge in England and Wales, said recent legislation meant longer prison sentences were being passed but it was unclear to him that the consequences were intended.

In a major speech he called for Parliament to take into consideration the impact of law and order legislation on the money needed for prisons.

"Unless Parliament is prepared to provide whatever resources are necessary to give effect to the sentences that judges choose, in their discretion, to impose, Parliament must re-examine the legislative framework for sentencing," he said.

"I do not believe that these simple propositions have been fully appreciated by those responsible for formulating criminal policy."

"If you decide to lock up one man for a minimum term of 30 years, you are investing £1m or more in punishing him," Lord Phillips added.

"That sum could pay for quite a few surgical operations or for a lot of remedial training in some of the schools where the staff are struggling to cope with the problems of trying to teach children who cannot even understand English. "

Justice secretary Jack Straw welcomed what he said was a "significant speech".

"It makes an important contribution to a matter of great public interest," he said.

Conservative justice spokesman Nick Herbert said: "We are now paying the price with grossly overcrowded prisons that do not rehabilitate offenders, rising reconviction rates and panic early release measures."