Government releases 1,100 more prisoners early to ease overcrowding crisis

The UK government has released 1,100 additional prisoners early as part of its ongoing emergency plan to address severe overcrowding in jails across England and Wales.

Under the scheme, offenders serving sentences longer than five years are being released on licence after serving 40% of their sentence. However, those convicted of serious violent crimes, sex offences, or terrorism are excluded from early release.

This marks the second wave of emergency releases since September, as ministers also launched a major review of sentencing, exploring new forms of punishment that do not involve incarceration.

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood addressed the House of Commons, stating that while the government intends to build more prisons, it is not a sustainable solution to the overcrowding crisis. She noted that the prison population has been increasing by approximately 4,500 inmates annually, outpacing previous efforts to build new cells.

Mahmood affirmed that the Labour government would meet its commitment to deliver 14,000 new prison spaces—previously promised but undelivered by the Conservatives—but also emphasised the need for sentencing reform to prevent future overcrowding.

The early releases, part of the emergency plan announced shortly after the general election, aim to free up 5,500 prison spaces across the country. Many of the released prisoners had been in open prisons, actively participating in rehabilitation efforts. Farah Nazeer, Chief Executive of Women’s Aid, said:

“A second wave of prisoners are being released as part of the Early Release Scheme. While we recognise the need for action to address the serious issue of overcrowding in prisons, Women’s Aid is once again warning about the consequences this will have for survivors of domestic abuse and other forms of violence against women and girls.

After the first wave of releases last month, we’ve seen our long-standing concerns come to fruition. Specialist domestic abuse services, who have faced decades of chronic underfunding, are already struggling with capacity as more survivors are turning to them for wellbeing and advocacy support following the early release of perpetrators. Understandably, many survivors find themselves needing more mental health support, as they struggle with the idea of their perpetrator being let out early. This is resulting in huge waiting lists for local mental health services and will likely have a long-term impact on everyone who needs to access this support, not just survivors of domestic abuse.

To make matters worse, our members have told us that they are not being fully informed on how this scheme will affect them and the individuals using their services. This means they are left in limbo, unable to put safeguarding plans in place in advance. Specialist domestic abuse services, as experts and advocates for survivors, should be at the core of decision-making processes and planning, alongside the parole boards and probation services, but many are finding that their concerns aren’t being taken seriously.”

Responding to the public reaction, a spokesman for Sir Keir Starmer stated that while the prime minister “shares the public’s anger” at the scenes of early releases, the government had no choice but to act. “If we had not acted, we would have faced a complete paralysis of the system,” he said. Nazeer added:

“In discussions with our members about the impact of the scheme, some have expressed that they believe there will be longer-term impacts which are not yet felt. As time from release increases, it is highly likely that perpetrators will become more comfortable, and with less interventions from probation services, that the risk to survivors will increase.

The government must listen to our continued warnings and take action to mitigate the very real risk that this scheme is posing to the physical and mental safety of survivors. Easing prison overcrowding should not come at the price of survivors safety, or even their life.”

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