The UK prison system faces a severe capacity crisis as the Ministry of Justice scrambles for emergency solutions to keep pace with dwindling prison spaces.
One solution by Labour, revealed in leaked documents to The Guardian, appears to involve plans by the Prison Service to force hundreds of inmates to “double up” in temporary prefabricated steel cells originally built for single occupancy.
Governors across 10 Category C prisons in England and Wales have been asked to sign off on installing second beds in these rapid deployment cells (RDCs).
The purpose-built, steel-framed cells are designed specifically for prisons and could add 476 spaces.
An MoJ spokeswoman appeared to confirm the leaked documents but told GB News “no final decision” has been taken on the proposed locations.
The spokesman said: “As the public would expect, we’re pulling every lever available to ensure there is always space to lock up dangerous offenders.
“Cells are only doubled up where it is safe to do so, and no final decision has been taken on these units.”
The People’s Channel has mapped the 10 sites that spread across the South, East, Midlands and North of the UK.
A map of Britain showing 10 prisons where inmates could be forced to ‘double up’ in cells
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GB NEWS
South West
In the South West, HMP Channings Wood (Devon), HMP Erlestoke (Wiltshire) and HMP The Verne (Dorset) have been suggested for rapid deployment cells.
Work is currently underway at HMP Channings Wood to build two new energy-efficient houseblocks, which will increase the facility’s capacity by approximately 500 places by the end of 2027.
HMP Erlestoke is also undergoing a £119million infrastructure expansion, featuring a brand-new vocational training workshop and broader facility upgrades to step up prisoner rehabilitation.
Ground was officially broken in early 2026 for three new 60-bed secure houseblocks, which will increase the facility’s overall capacity by 180 Category C places.
A national project to integrate Rapid Deployment Cells to ease short-term capacity pressures at HMP The Verne has already been completed on site.
HMP Huntercombe has exclusively held adult male foreign national prisoners since 2010
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South East
HMP Huntercombe (Oxfordshire) and HMP Rochester (Kent) make up the two facilities in the South East.
Since 2010, HMP Huntercombe has exclusively held adult male foreign national prisoners.
It primarily houses inmates who have between three and 36 months remaining on their sentences and works directly with Home Office Immigration Enforcement.
HMP Rochester was founded in 1874 and famously served as the original blueprint for Britain’s historical “borstal” youth detention system.
In late 2024, HM Inspectorate of Prisons issued an Urgent Notification for HMP Rochester due to a “decade of decline”, with inspectors highlighting dilapidated living conditions and high positive drug testing rates.
HMP Littlehey functions to hold men convicted of sexual offences, with an operational capacity of approximately 1,241 inmates
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GETTY
East of England
The three facilities in the East of England up for a “double up” are HMP Littlehey (Cambridgeshire), HMP The Mount (Hertfordshire) and HMP Wayland (Norfolk).
HMP Littlehey functions exclusively to hold men convicted of sexual offences, with an operational capacity of approximately 1,241 inmates and is the largest prison of its kind in Europe.
Opened in 1987 as a young offenders institution, HMP The Mount now functions as a resettlement prison.
An expansion project at HMP Wayland includes a brand-new four-storey, energy-efficient houseblock adding 247 permanent prison places, a new 1,200-capacity main kitchen, 66 education slots, an all-weather sports pitch and vocational training facilities.
The emergency plan to add a second bed to the site’s temporary single-occupancy Rapid Deployment Cells will add an extra 43 inmates.
It has an operational capacity of 1,192 prisoners across 11 residential units
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East Midlands and North West
In the East Midlands, HMP Whatton (Nottinghamshire) could be included in the government plans, while HMP Wymott (Lancashire) is a proposed site in the North West.
HMP Whatton has an operational capacity of roughly 841 to 856 prisoners.
Originally opened in 1966 as a detention centre for young offenders, the site was re-roled in 1990 to become an adult training facility before specialising entirely in sex offender rehabilitation during the late 1990s
HMP Wymott houses a large, mixed population of both mainstream prisoners and individuals convicted of sexual offences.
It has an operational capacity of 1,192 prisoners across 11 residential units.