UK Home Secretary John Reid is in deep trouble, trying to manage a criminal justice system that has filled prisons to overflowing. In his defence, Reid claims that “projecting the prison population is never an exact science”. Perhaps he should visit the US state of Washington, which has been using scientific principles to try to avoid a similar crisis.
Washington may need three new prisons by 2030 if its jail population follows current trends. But with each prison costing $250 million to build and $45 million per year to run, are more jails the best option? To find out, politicians…
