LATEST figures show Southwest prisons are "crowded" and nearing capacity, as MPs warn prisons will run out of space in early 2026.
The Government’s January 2025 prison population figures show "crowding" in HMP Bristol, HMP Exeter, and HMP Channings Wood — with populations greater than the number of cells available.
HMP Bristol has a current population of 574 inmates and an operational capacity of 580. It has 408 cells in use, meaning that some prisoners are currently sharing and that the prison's status is "crowded".
Read More: Prisons face ‘total gridlock’ in 2026 amid failure to increase capacity – MPs
The operational capacity of a prison is the total number of prisoners that an establishment can hold taking into account control, security and the proper operation of the planned regime. In-use Certified Normal Accommodation (in-use CNA) is the number of prisoners a prison can hold in in-use cells without being crowded.
The latest figures show that HMP Exeter has 308 inmates and an operational capacity of 310. It has 193 in-use CNA cells, meaning the prison is "crowded" with some prisoners sharing cells.
Meanwhile, HMP Channings Wood near Newton Abbot has a population of 739 and an operational capacity of 746. It has 685 cells as its Certified Normal Accommodation, meaning some prisoners are sharing cells.
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