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18 August 2011
Last updated at 19:43 ET
The prison population has increased by more than 100 a day over the past week as courts process cases of rioting and looting, prison governors have said.
They said total jail numbers were 86,608 in England and Wales, a rise of 677 in the six days up to Thursday.
The Prison Governors Association warned jails would run out of space if they continued to fill up at such a rate.
However, the organisation said there was no immediate crisis. Official figures have yet to be released.
Contingency plans The prison population normally decreases or remains stable in August because there are fewer court sittings and offenders sent to jail.
But this year because of the disorder in London, Manchester, Birmingham and other English cities, numbers are rising sharply. Demand for cells is particularly high in London.
It means the number of spare places in the system - about 1,200 in prisons and 200 in immigration removal centres - is declining.
If there is a shortage contingency plans are thought to include housing some inmates three to a cell.
BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw says ministers may come under pressure to keep open two prisons that were due to close next month - Brockhill in Worcestershire and Latchmere House in south-west London.
'Aggravating features' Prime Minister David Cameron has defended courts for handing out "tough" sentences for those involved in the riots.
Some MPs and campaigners said there had been examples of prison terms being too harsh.
Lib Dem peer and Howard League for Penal Reform president Lord Carlile said some decisions were "questionable".
On Tuesday, two men were jailed for four years at Chester Crown Court for using Facebook to incite riots. Both are to appeal against the sentence.
Max Hill QC, vice-chairman of the Criminal Bar Association, said it was not the job of judges "to deliver a political message on behalf of the government" when passing sentence but part of their role was to identify "serious aggravating features that elevate the crime beyond the ordinary".
He added: "In the case of the two in Chester, it seems that is exactly what the judge has done."
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They said total jail numbers were 86,608 in England and Wales, a rise of 677 in the six days up to Thursday.
The Prison Governors Association warned jails would run out of space if they continued to fill up at such a rate.
However, the organisation said there was no immediate crisis. Official figures have yet to be released.
Contingency plans The prison population normally decreases or remains stable in August because there are fewer court sittings and offenders sent to jail.
But this year because of the disorder in London, Manchester, Birmingham and other English cities, numbers are rising sharply. Demand for cells is particularly high in London.
It means the number of spare places in the system - about 1,200 in prisons and 200 in immigration removal centres - is declining.
If there is a shortage contingency plans are thought to include housing some inmates three to a cell.
BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw says ministers may come under pressure to keep open two prisons that were due to close next month - Brockhill in Worcestershire and Latchmere House in south-west London.
'Aggravating features' Prime Minister David Cameron has defended courts for handing out "tough" sentences for those involved in the riots.
Some MPs and campaigners said there had been examples of prison terms being too harsh.
Lib Dem peer and Howard League for Penal Reform president Lord Carlile said some decisions were "questionable".
On Tuesday, two men were jailed for four years at Chester Crown Court for using Facebook to incite riots. Both are to appeal against the sentence.
Max Hill QC, vice-chairman of the Criminal Bar Association, said it was not the job of judges "to deliver a political message on behalf of the government" when passing sentence but part of their role was to identify "serious aggravating features that elevate the crime beyond the ordinary".
He added: "In the case of the two in Chester, it seems that is exactly what the judge has done."
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