The UK has a higher percentage of its population in prison than any other EC country. One consequence of this is overcrowding in Britain’s prisons, and there is great concern over conditions. Many of Britain’s prisons were built over a hundred years ago. Prison cells which were designed for only one inmate each are often shared by three or four. There is a lack of washing and toilet facilities. Even prisons built in the 1960s have not improved the situation. Prisoners still have to “slop out”—empty their toilet pots—in the morning.
The government is now planning to build new prisons. Privatised prisons—prisons which are not run by the government, but by companies—will provide more prison space. However, many people are against the idea of running prisons as businesses.