Hundreds more prisoners being freed early in latest wave of scheme
Ministers say 5,000 prisoners will be freed early over the next year, with eligible offenders serving one-third of their sentences to reduce jail overcrowding.
- On Tuesday, approximately 650 prisoners are being released from jails in England and Wales as part of the government's third tranche of early releases aimed at addressing severe overcrowding.
- Ministers implemented the policy earlier this year to alleviate capacity crises, allowing eligible fixed-term offenders to serve one-third of their sentence in custody instead of half. Serious offenders including rapists remain exempt.
- Authorities mandate strict monitoring with a presumption that all released individuals will wear GPS tags provided by contractor Serco. The Ministry of Justice asserts some offenders face the "toughest supervision in British history."
- Reform UK home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf called on the Justice Secretary to "look victims in the eye today and rule out another early release scheme." Liberal Democrats justice spokesperson Jess Brown-Fuller said prisons are "running on fumes."
- Probation union Napo is balloting members on potential strike action over pay disputes amid the releases. To manage workload, the Ministry of Justice is investing £700m to recruit 1,300 extra officers and deploy AI monitoring tools.
23 Articles
23 Articles
Britain's Prison Crisis Deepens as 650 More Inmates Are Set Free Before Serving Their Full Sentences
Around 650 prisoners in England and Wales are due for early release on Tuesday under revised rules aimed at easing overcrowding, prompting concerns about capacity, supervision and homelessness.
Justice Secretary Boasts About Meeting NFL in New York on Same Day Labour Releases 650 Prisoners Early
The Justice Secretary is posting about flying to New York and meeting the NFL on the same day that his department releases 650 prisoners early. The Norriswave… 650 offenders are leaving jails in England and Wales today in the third batch of Labour’s early releases. After serving one third of their sentence… 1,350 prisoners were…
The real truth about Labour's early prison releases should worry us all
The government’s early release scheme, under which 650 prisoners will be released early today, was supposed to save the prison system from collapse.It would buy time in which more prison spaces could be built. We were also promised that those released would be closely supervised, both by probation officers and with a tagging system that would monitor their movements and behaviour. It is now clear that none of those claims were true. TRENDING St…
Prisoners pose and give thumbs-up as they leave HMP Durham under early-release scheme
Prisoners were pictured posing for cameras, giving thumbs-up signs and greeting those waiting outside as they emerged from HMP Durham under the Government’s latest early-release scheme.
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