Ministry of Justice Evaluation of New Prisons Programme

The prison population has increased significantly in the 2020s, prompting the Prison Capacity Portfolio (PCP) to aim for 20,000 additional prison places during the decade. This initiative not only seeks to expand capacity but also aims to modernize and improve outcomes for prisoners and staff. The New Prisons Programme, a part of the PCP, plans to create around 10,000 places in six new prisons, with one already opened in early 2022 and another in Summer 2023. These new prisons will feature the innovative ‘T60’ houseblock design, prioritizing single cells with natural light, ventilation, and improved technology. The University of Westminster, in partnership with RAND, has been granted the project, funded by the Ministry of Justice, to conduct a multi-year evaluation of the New Prisons Programme’s impact, with a particular focus on the well-being of prisoners and staff, using a quasi-experimental design. The research team at Westminster is made up of Richard Dorsett, Veruska Oppedisano and Kalyan Kameshwara.