Plea to cut down on prisoner numbers

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The Home Office called it a stopgap before plans to create another 8,000 prison places come into effect in the spring.

But prison reformers blamed ministers for blocking prison beds with petty offenders, addicts, and the mentally ill.

Association of Chief Police Officers president Ken Jones insisted part of the jail overcrowding problem was down to police catching so many serious offenders.

When asked by Tory leader David Cameron at Prime Minister's Questions whether the Government was considering options such as prison ships and military-style camps to ease overcrowding, Mr Blair said: "All options, of course, are kept under consideration all the time."

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