In a report on the restructuring of the agency released yesterday, the NAO found that because Ken Clarke’s sentencing reforms were not pursued the expected reduction in the prison population will not materialise. A fall of just 2,000 inmates is predicted by the end of the government’s spending review.
This will leave NOMS struggling to save cash. The NAO found that although NOMS achieved its target of £230m savings in 2011-12, future savings will be more challenging. It concluded that the agency’s financial position “is vulnerable to unexpected changes in the prison population”.