We call on the UK Government to introduce legislation requiring prisoners with sufficient financial means to pay the cost of their incarceration through a fair, means-tested system, the same as paying for your care, should you need to, in later life.

This should operate in a similar way to existing arrangements under the Care Act 2014, where individuals with assets are required to contribute to the cost of their care. Contributions should apply where offenders have the ability to pay. The cost of imprisonment places a substantial and growing burden on taxpayers. At a time of pressure on public finances, it is neither fair nor sustainable that individuals with significant assets can serve custodial sentences entirely at public expense.