HMP Isle of Wight is operating close to capacity according to Ministry of Justice figures, as the issue of overcrowding was raised by a prison charity.
The Prison Reform Trust announced today that 59 per cent of prisons in the UK were overcrowded and called for more effective use of community sentences to address the issue.
According to Ministry of Justice figures for July, HMP Isle of Wight, which consists of Parkhurst, Camp Hill and the Albany, had 1,578 available cells in total, occupied by 1,590 prisoners.
In total the prison has operational capacity for around 1,700 prisoners, with some cells suitable for two people.
Governor James Shanley said in an ideal world there would be one prisoner per cell, but added: "I am happy that we have some operational flex at the moment, we have spare capacity. We’re not overcrowded."
Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: "The prison population can be safely reduced by curbing inflation in sentencing, calling a halt to any unnecessary use of custodial remand and investing in effective community penalties."
According to the trust, government figures showed the most overcrowded prison in England and Wales was HMP Kennet.
The trust said the prison was designed to hold 175 prisoners, but in July had 337 prisoners there.
Reporter: ross.findon@iwcp.co.uk