The British government will on Tuesday release another 1,100 prisoners whose sentences were reduced by 40% due to prison saturation. It is the second time that this emergency measure has been applied, initially decreed in mid-September, when the prison population in England and Wales exceeded the «ceiling» of 87,000 prisoners93% more than 30 years ago.
“We will make sure that something like this does not happen again,” the Justice Minister warned Shabana Mahmoodwhich blamed the last conservative governments for the explosive situation in prisons. Your department is developing a plan for the next ten yearswith measures such as the power of judges to impose sentences of house arrest as an alternative to prison.
Inmates eligible for early release from prison have sentences of more than five years. Those convicted of crimes of violence, sexual assault or domestic abuse were excludedalthough in the first early release, in mid-September, several cases of recidivism occurred within a few days.
The emergency measure, supported by the majority of trade unions and experts, was harshly criticized by conservative media. In his personal affront to the British government, Elon Musk He went so far as to write about his own
«Under rehabilitation»
The Justice Minister assured the BBC that most of the prisoners released so far are in «open prison regime and undergoing rehabilitation». Shabana Mahmood highlighted that the government took extreme measures in the selection process to prevent prisoners with a history of violence or sexual abuse from benefiting from the measure.
“We will use this opportunity to chart a new trajectory,” Mahmood said. “We will ensure there is space in prisons for those who need to be locked up, but we will also extend the number of sentences outside of prison.”
The contingency plan consists of the initial release 5,500 cells in prisons in England and Wales so as not to reach the maximum occupancy limit. The prison population has increased by more than 4,000 inmates per year over the past three decades. Citizen insecurity, and in particular knife crime, has seen an increase since the pandemic.
Meanwhile the Starmer government has appointed former Conservative justice secretary David Gauke to review the current prison system and develop a long-term strategy. Gauke, in favor of radical reform, will present a report with his conclusions next spring.
