Queensland prisons hold record number of criminals Queensland jails have a record number of prisoners in them. The Queensland Government's tough on crime approach has put an extra 832 people in prison since June 2012 at a cost to taxpayers of an extra $96.72 million a year. The Department of Justice and Attorney General on Wednesday evening confirmed there were now 6432 prisoners in Queensland jails on November 6. It is the first time in Queensland history prisoner numbers have been more than 6000. In June 2012 there were 5600 prisoners, a figure which has been stable for five years. The additional $96.72 million cost is based on the "cost per incarceration," in the most recent Report on Government Services, which compares corrective services costs in Australia. That shows the total cost of incarceration in Queensland is $318.50 per prisoner per day. The Queensland Government prefers to use a lower figure, $190 per prisoner, per day - also included in the Report on Government Services - but which does not include the cost per prisoner of the capital works to build new cells to house prisoners. At this cost, the extra 832 prisoners will cost taxpayers $57.69 million extra a year. Prisoners' Legal Service principal solicitor Matilda Alexander - who raised concerns on Monday - said she was staggered by the latest prisoner numbers revealed on Wednesday night. "Oh my God, I am quite shocked by that," Ms Alexander said. "That is the highest we have ever seen in Queensland and it also means we have the most expensive prison system we have ever had," she said. She said the crucial question was where the additional money to pay for prisoner care was coming from. Its a real concern, because when you are spending that kind of money on the prison system, you have to ask which services are going to have to miss out? Is it education, is it health services if you want to keep spending that much more on the prison system. Attorney General Jarrod Bleijie acknowledged the additional cost, but said an extra $40 million was allocated to corrective services in the 2013-14 budget. "A bigger concern was the cost offenders were imposing on the community when they were not being punished appropriately," Mr Bleijie said. He said an extra 300 cells had been built at Townsville's Lotus Glenn Correctional Centre and 25 beds at Numinbah Women's Correctional Centre this year. Shadow Corrective Services spokesman Bill Byrne said money was being diverted from fire and ambulance services to pay for the higher prison costs. "The costs are mounting daily to keep these prisoners in jail and money is being diverted from fire and ambulance services budgets to pay the cost," Mr Byrne said. During a tour of Queensland prisons in September and October, Ms Alexander said she was told by prison managers, or saw herself: 44 women (88 sharing) sleeping on mattresses in cells at Wacol's Brisbane Women's prison; up to 70 prisoners were sleeping on mattresses at Gatton prison; and up to 80 prisoners are sleeping on mattresses on the floor of cells at Wolston prison. These figures were not disputed by the state government. Ms Alexander said the experience of Prisoners' Legal Service was a large part of the increasing prisoner numbers were "parole breaches" and the homeless, not hardened criminals. For example, they are told they can't have an (alcoholic) drink on their parole and they have a drink. They breach their parole and they go back to prison. She said some homeless people with accumulated petty crimes were being "warehoused" in prisons at a cost of $318.50 per prisoner, per day.