How do we solve the problem of our failing prisons?

If there’s one thing our polarised politicians can agree on, it’s that our prison system is broken. 

Overcrowded. Under staffed. Drug Ridden. And violent. Incarceration is riddled with issues which are complex and inextricably interwoven.   

The last 10 years has seen a 20% cut to the prisons budget. 

One former prisons minister - Rory Stewart - said prisoners often emerge more dangerous than when they entered the system, something we’ve seen with two recent terrorist attacks in London. 

So, if there’s a consensus that the system is failing on an epic scale, how do we turn this around and create a prison network fit for the 2020s?

Ian and Matthew are joined by Chris Atkins, author of A Bit of A Stretch, and Jason Warr, lecturer in criminology at De Montfort university