SIR – With the prison population hitting another all-time high at 88,166, leaving room for just 1,218 more inmates, jails could soon reach their capacity.

But this must not stop courts incarcerating criminals even if this means increasing numbers to a cell. They do this in the US, so why not here?

Successive governments have ignored the need for more prisons and no doubt because of the present economic climate, will do so again.

But surely if the Government can spend billions on foreign aid, they can find a few million pounds to build at least one prison and prevent a pending crisis materalising?

D Rhodes, Croscombe Walk, Bradford