The prison population is rising by more than 100 people a day as courts deal with cases of rioting and looting, Ministry of Justice figures show.
Jail numbers in England and Wales have increased to a record high of 86,654, beating last week's total of 85,931.
The Prison Governors Association warned jails would run out of space if they continued to fill up at the current rate but there was no immediate crisis.
The Prison Service said it was developingcontingency plans.
'Enough places'
A Prison Service spokesman said: "We are managing an unprecedented situation and all the staff involved should be commended for their dedication and hard work during this difficult time.
"We currently have enough prison places for those being remanded and sentenced to custody as a result of public disorder.
"We are developing contingencies to increase useable capacity should further pressure be placed on the prison estate."
The service said these contingencies included introducing new facilities early and reopening mothballed accommodation.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures are for the number of prisoners in jails, young offender institutions and immigration removal centres.
They do not include juveniles and children held in secure training centres and secure children's homes.
The increase means there has been a rise of 723 in the prison population in England and Wales over the past seven days.
The number of spare prison places is about 1,200 and there are also about 200 free spaces in immigration removal centres.
The MoJ said the "useable operational capacity" was 88,093. Two weeks ago the prison population in England and Wales was 85,523.
Prison Governors Association president Eoin McLennan-Murray said: "What is worrying is if the landscape of sentencing has changed.
"If the courts continue to be heavy-handed and use custody more readily than they have done previously then that would be problematic longer-term."
Howard League for Penal Reform campaigns director Andrew Neilson said the desire to send out a message was leading to "some very bad sentences which will be overturned on appeal".
A spokesman for the Law Society said justice should be administered promptly but also "effectively and fairly and with calm heads".
Shadow prisons minister Helen Goodman said: "I am becoming increasingly concerned about the level of capacity that we have remaining in the prison estate."
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14583562
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