What can be done to fix the prisons crisis?

Within days of winning the general election, Keir Starmer has had to respond to what is undoubtedly a crisis – perhaps even an emergency – in prisons across England and Wales.

The equation is a simple one. Too many prisoners. Not enough prison places. More prisons are being planned. But even this won’t keep track of the expected rise in prisoner numbers.

So how on earth has this allowed to happen? Who is to blame? And has the Labour government come up with a sensible plan to fix the problem – or just a short-term sticking plaster?

Ken Macdonald, crossbench peer, former Director of Public Prosecutions, and President of the Howard League for Penal Reform, joins Anand and Hannah to examine one of the biggest headaches facing the new government.