PRISONERS in Welsh jails were handed a total of 10,341 days – more than 28 years – of additional imprisonment for breaking prison rules last year.

Research by the Howard League for Penal Reform reveals today that, across Wales and England, almost 290,000 additional days of imprisonment were handed down to prisoners during 2016 – a 75 per cent rise in only two years.

The Howard League has calculated that the additional days imposed in 2016 alone will cost the taxpayer about £27million.

The findings are published in Out of control: Punishment in prison, the latest in a series of Howard League reports examining how prisons respond to misbehaviour. 

The report calls on Wales and England to follow the example set by Scotland, where the use of additional days of imprisonment was scrapped about 10 years ago.

Frances Crook, Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “Prisons are out of control. More people than ever before are losing their lives to suicide, and violence and self-injury are at record levels. The adjudications system has become a monster that is making these problems worse.

“It is surely time to follow the example set in Scotland, where scrapping additional days’ imprisonment has made prisons fairer and safer. There are more constructive ways to deal with misbehaviour than simply locking up people for longer, which puts even more pressure on the system.

“Bold but sensible action to reduce the prison population would save lives and prevent more people being swept into deeper currents of crime, violence and despair.”