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‘Thank you Andy Burnham’ - Prisoners react as they leave HMP Durham early
- On Thursday, England and Wales commenced an early release scheme, freeing around 700 inmates from facilities including HMP Durham and HMP Cardiff as the first wave of a program designed to release up to 5,000 prisoners over the next year to relieve severe overcrowding.
- Ministry of Justice data shows the prison population in England and Wales reached 87,499 on Monday, a 2% increase from 85,761 on June 29, forcing the Government to implement emergency releases to prevent the justice system from collapsing under capacity constraints.
- Prisoners guilty of manslaughter, rape, and serious child sex offenses are explicitly excluded, including the killers of Pc Andrew Harper; the Government scaled back the release target from 6,000 to 5,000 after ministers intervened to exclude rapists and the most serious offenders.
- Defending the policy, Justice Secretary Alex Norris cited plans to build 14,000 prison places and subject offenders to "toughest-ever controls," while Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy said the public would "pay the price" and called the policy an "insult to victims."
- Labour MP Catherine Atkinson, chairwoman of the Commons Justice Committee, said releases were "regretfully a matter of necessity" but warned "serious questions remain" over probation pressures and system readiness, as Victims Commissioner Claire Waxman cautioned the Government's confidence "is not yet matched by the reality on the ground.
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'Thank You, Andy Burnham': Prisoners Praise PM As They Are Released Early
Former inmates leave HMP Brixton.Former prisoners publicly thanked Andy Burnham as they were released early from jail.Around 700 inmates are being let out before the end of their sentences today as the government tries to ease prison overcrowding.One prisoner, dressed in shorts, a T-shirt and trainers and holding his belongings in a bin bag, said to reporters as he left HMP Durham: “Justice system, what justice system? Thank you Andy Burnham.”An…
·United Kingdom
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The IndependentReposted by 
The Independent (US)
The Independent (US)Prisoners celebrate walking free from jail early as 700 inmates are released
·London, United Kingdom
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Total News Sources20
Leaning Left5Leaning Right2Center9Last UpdatedBias Distribution56% Center
Bias Distribution
- 56% of the sources are Center
56% Center
L 31%
C 56%
13%
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