The government will unveil plans on Friday to release prisoners early to alleviate overcrowding in prisons across England and Wales, the BBC has confirmed. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood is set to introduce a series of emergency measures aimed at creating more space in the prison system.
The primary measure involves automatically releasing prisoners serving “standard determinate sentences” after they have completed 40% of their sentence, down from the current 50%, according to government sources. Exceptions will be made for sexual and serious violent offenders.
This initiative follows a previous announcement in March by the then-Conservative government to release prisoners up to two months early as a strategy to mitigate overcrowding.
Former Justice Secretary Alex Chalk, speaking on the BBC’s Today Podcast, revealed that there were plans to reduce sentences to 40% and to reduce the number of incarcerations, but these were shelved due to anticipated lack of support in Parliament. Chalk emphasized the political challenges of implementing such changes, noting the difficulty of securing votes in the previous Parliament.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, speaking from Washington DC where he is attending a NATO summit, expressed shock at the current state of the prison system. “The situation is worse than I thought it was. I’m pretty shocked that it’s been allowed to get into that situation. It’s reckless to allow them to get into that place,” he stated.
The urgency of the situation was underscored by the Prison Governors’ Association, which recently warned that jails were nearing full capacity. Chalk attributed the overcrowding partly to delays in court cases caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and advocated for more suspended sentences to reduce the likelihood of reoffending.
Chalk also highlighted the financial constraints facing the government, suggesting that resources might be better allocated to other critical needs, such as building new hospitals, rather than expanding prison capacity.
Labour’s long-term strategy for prison reform remains unclear, but the appointment of James Timpson as prisons minister indicates a potential shift in approach. Timpson, known for employing ex-offenders through his shoe repair business, has previously criticized the penal system’s heavy reliance on punishment.
In Scotland, a similar scheme is already underway, aiming to release up to 550 inmates with less than six months remaining on their sentences. This program might be extended to those who have served two-thirds of their sentence. The Scottish Parliament passed legislation last year to reduce the prison population by ensuring custodial remand is used only as a last resort, though this has raised concerns among victims’ groups about the potential release of repeat offenders.
As the government moves forward with these new measures, the focus will be on balancing public safety with the need to address the critical issue of prison overcrowding.
