On Tuesday, around 1,700 prisoners were released early in a government effort to address overcrowding in jails.
This emergency measure allows inmates to be released after serving 40% of their sentence to create space for new suspects and convicts. However, those convicted of serious crimes, including sex offences, terrorism and violent crimes, are excluded from the scheme to protect public safety.
Despite these exclusions, both prison and probation officials have raised concerns. Martin Jones, the chief inspector of probation, told the BBC that it’s “a certainty that some will reoffend” and that there’s a risk some offences could be serious.
Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons, emphasised that the government had little choice, with prisons running out of space. He called for reforms, including better security to tackle drug use and improved education and training for inmates, to ensure safer future releases.
The release comes amid record-high prison populations, with 88,521 inmates in England and Wales, leaving only 1,098 available spaces.
[Image created via MidJourney]