First wave of early prison releases begins in England and Wales

The first wave of an early-release scheme began Thursday, October 1, with about 700 prisoners expected to leave jails across England and Wales as the government seeks to ease overcrowding. Reports from outside prisons in Durham, Cardiff and London described prisoners leaving custody early, but an official count of completed releases was not provided. The Ministry of Justice said the prison population in England and Wales stood at 87,499 on Monday, up from 85,761 on June 29. The increase of 1,738 people, or about 2%, has intensified pressure on prisons. The government says the release plan is needed to create space and prevent prisons from running out of cells for dangerous prisoners. Justice Secretary Alex Norris defended the policy on those grounds, while acknowledging anxiety among victims ahead of offenders’ release dates. The government has said people released early remain subject to licence conditions and can be recalled to prison if they breach those conditions or cannot be safely managed in the community. The first releases drew mixed reactions from prisoners. A man leaving HMP Durham said, “Justice system, what justice system? Thank you Andy Burnham.