How three super prisons costing 1bn 'will be overcrowded from start'

A planned generation of super prisons will be overcrowded from the start, official papers show.

The £1billion scheme to build three Titan jails is designed to ease the capacity crisis.

But a consultation document from the Ministry of Justice says that each facility will hold 2,500 inmates despite being designed for 2,100.

'Planned overcrowding' will see single cells filled by two inmates and double cells occupied by three.

Although jails in England and Wales are expanding rapidly, they are barely keeping pace with the number of inmates, which stands at a record 82,600.

Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, wants to build Titan jails in London or the Thames corridor, the West Midlands and the North-West.

No precise locations have been identified but each site must cover 50 acres, not be overlooked and be close to a major city. Transport links and access to courts are also key factors.

The Tories say the Titan prisons will simply 'warehouse' prisoners without offering rehabilitation.

Campaigners warned that evidence from overseas shows that giant prisons do not work.

The Titan jails will be designed to last a century, offering much lower costs per prisoner per year than existing jails.