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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Titan prisons plans 'abandoned' | Titan prisons plans 'abandoned' |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Plans for three 2,500-place Titan prisons costing an estimated £350m each are to be ditched, the BBC understands. | |
| Instead, Justice Secretary Jack Straw is expected to reveal proposals for five 1,500-place jails, with two set to go ahead immediately. | |
| Sources say the decision has nothing to do with the Budget or making savings. | Sources say the decision has nothing to do with the Budget or making savings. |
| A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "The justice secretary will make a statement on this issue shortly and we cannot comment further on speculation." | A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "The justice secretary will make a statement on this issue shortly and we cannot comment further on speculation." |
| Public protection | |
| The spokesman added that the Ministry of Justice had consulted widely and listened carefully to all views. | The spokesman added that the Ministry of Justice had consulted widely and listened carefully to all views. |
| BBC political correspondent Ross Hawkins said the government's plans had yet to be finalised, but Mr Straw would reveal there would be no Titan prisons or prison ships. | BBC political correspondent Ross Hawkins said the government's plans had yet to be finalised, but Mr Straw would reveal there would be no Titan prisons or prison ships. |
| Mr Straw first announced plans for the three Titan prisons in December 2007, which would have cost an estimated £350m each. | |
| He told MPs they would "fulfil our commitment to provide a modernised prison system that protects the public from the most serious offenders". | He told MPs they would "fulfil our commitment to provide a modernised prison system that protects the public from the most serious offenders". |
| The five prisons planned as an alternative would be among the biggest in England and Wales. | The five prisons planned as an alternative would be among the biggest in England and Wales. |
| HMP Wandsworth, which on average holds 1,461 male prisoners, is currently the largest prison in those countries. | HMP Wandsworth, which on average holds 1,461 male prisoners, is currently the largest prison in those countries. |
| The Titan jail plan followed Labour peer Lord Carter's recommendation for an extra 10,500 places in England and Wales in a review of prison overcrowding. | |
| Their likely locations were London, the West Midlands and the North West. |