The prison population of England and Wales has jumped to the highest number in nearly a year and is nearing record levels, despite the early release of tens of thousands of offenders, official figures show.A total of 88,238 people were in jail as of Monday, up 231 on the previous week and a rise of more than 1,200 in the past two months, according to data published by the Ministry of Justice.There are just 283 fewer prisoners now than the record high of 88,521 reached in September last year duri

The prison population of England and Wales has jumped to the highest number in nearly a year and is nearing record levels, despite the early release of tens of thousands of offenders, official figures show.A total of 88,238 people were in jail as of Monday, up 231 on the previous week and a rise of more than 1,200 in the past two months, according to data published by the Ministry of Justice.There are just 283 fewer prisoners now than the record high of 88,521 reached in September last year during the aftermath of the summer riots in towns and cities across the UK.