1700 prisonerswho are scheduled to be released on Tuesday from multiple prisons in England i Together This is in addition to the 1,000 that are typically released per week.
According to the assumption, people who have served at least 40 percent of their sentence may be released from prison, not 50 percent as before. However, this rule does not apply to people convicted of sexual offences, terrorism, domestic violence or certain violent crimes.
United Kingdom. Prison overcrowding in England and Wales
According to the BBC, in recent weeks, there have been shortages of places in around 100 prisons in England and Wales, and now there are supposed to be 350 such facilities. Ministers explain their unpopular decision by citing the poor data, claiming that they have no room to maneuver. Official data released last week shows that at that time there were the most people in the history of publishing statisticsi.e. since 2011. There are only 1,098 places left in the penitentiary system, which constitutes only 1.2 percent of available space.
In addition, politicians say that while the exact plans are being made in the summer curatorial service and other institutions had a chance to prepare for the release of so many convicts. Unofficially, however, there is talk of great concern.
UK. Prisoners set to be released. Public and expert concerns grow
British commentators point out that the government's proposed solution is short-term. In 2023, Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons in England and Wales, described the problem of overcrowding as “ticking time bomb”but warned that early dismissals would not be enough to prevent his termination.
At the same time, however, Taylor admitted that the government Keira Starmera had no choice, because crowded prisons also cannot function properly. As he pointed out, releasing prisoners earlier will most likely result in an increase homelessnessnot to mention committing further crimes and getting involved in dangerous substances.
It is estimated that if trends continue, by 2028 there will be 10,000 people in prisons in England and Wales about 19 thousand prisonerswhile only nine thousand places will be added.
UK: Calls for reform of the system grow
The early release of prisoners is, above all, a huge problem for the above-mentioned probation service, which is already struggling with workload. By law, prisoners who are released early must be supervised by probation officers and follow certain rules, including curfews. That's why experts worry that criminals will get out of control.
Chief Inspector of Probation Martin Jones warned Radio 4 that there was athat some of those released will re-offend, estimating their number at approx. one third of all released.
“We need a healthy criminal justice system,” he added, calling for investment that he said would benefit everyone.
UK: Labour admits they have a problem. They blame their predecessors
The government itself, led by Keir Starmer, also does not hide its concern, admitting that the decision was made naglebut it was inevitable. At the same time he puts the blame on his predecessorswho “left no capacity in the system” and failed to take responsibility for managing prisons.
– The victims have been informed where it is relevant to them, but again we come back to the fact that this is a difficult decision and most British people would say it should never have come to this point. I understand those concerns,” said Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds.
They have already responded to the allegations conservativeswho say the release of the prisoners was badly handled and accuse Labour of failing to ensure all victims were informed of the release of their tormentors.
The problem has certainly been growing for years, as hard data shows. In 2023, the average prison sentence in England and Wales was 25% longer than it was in 2012. For some crimes, the percentage was even higher. For theft, for example, the increase is 36%.
Another reason is that many people in pretrial detention are still waiting for trial or punishment. In March, 16,458 people were arrested, while in 2016 it was about 10,000 people.
Stay up to date and become one of over 200 thousand followers of our fanpage – like Interia Events on Facebook and comment on our articles there!