London: In an effort to address the severe overcrowding in prisons, the UK government is set to release around 1,700 prisoners early on Tuesday. This move is part of a broader strategy to alleviate pressure on the prison system, which has seen its population exceed 88,500— a record high—with only about 1,000 available spaces remaining.
The early release initiative is aimed at prisoners serving sentences of less than five years. Under the new policy, these individuals are eligible for release on license after serving 40 percent of their sentence, reduced from the previous 50 percent requirement. This policy is in addition to the approximately 1,000 prisoners released each week under normal procedures.
However, the policy excludes those convicted of certain serious offenses, including sexual, violent, domestic abuse, terrorism, and national security crimes. Despite this, concerns have been raised about the impact on victims and public safety.
Baroness Newlove, the victims’ commissioner for England and Wales, expressed distress over the potential erosion of public trust in the justice system. She noted that some victims are unaware of the early release of their offenders, which could undermine their confidence in the system.
Nicole Jacobs, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, echoed these concerns, highlighting the risk that victims might not receive timely notifications about the early release of their abusers. She criticized the policy as unjust, particularly for those affected by domestic abuse.
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood defended the policy as a necessary measure to prevent the collapse of the prison system and maintain law and order. She attributed the crisis to the previous government’s failure to address the issue effectively.
The government plans to release a total of around 5,500 offenders in two phases over the next two months, with the second batch scheduled for release on October 22. In addition to these short-term measures, the government is expediting the construction of new prisons. However, the Institute for Government warns that even with new facilities, there could be a shortfall of 8,000 prison places by 2028.
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