The UK government has initiated an unprecedented move to release prisoners up to 60 days early in an effort to alleviate overcrowding in jails across England and Wales. This decision comes as prisons are nearing full capacity, with fewer than 250 spaces left in men's jails, which are 99.7 per cent full, and women's facilities also approaching their limits, being 96.9 per cent full with just 118 spaces left. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) disclosed this information in a statement, highlighting the severe strain on the prison system. Justice Secretary Alex Chalk has warned Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that without swift action, such as passing the landmark Sentencing Bill to scrap short sentences, the prison system could run out of space by Easter, potentially leading to riots. In response, Chalk announced plans to extend a scheme for the early release of certain low-level offenders and to amend deportation sentences to facilitate the removal of more foreign national offenders (FNOs). The government's actions have sparked controversy, with Labour's Shabana Mahmood criticizing the lack of transparency and potential risks to public safety.
'We've got 88,000 prisoners, let's get them building!' Former Prison Governor and Author, Vanessa Frake, on building more prisons and government investment in the criminal justice system. 🖥️ GB News on YouTube: https://t.co/KHMl3BS8eC https://t.co/GcOEWUPn7D
Dangerous foreign criminals have no place in this country. Today we removed another 37 people who had no right to be in the UK. This included criminals convicted of domestic violence, grievous bodily harm and firearms offences. https://t.co/Dub3JardwB
The Government's early release scheme means prisoners - many of whom pose an ongoing threat to the public - are directly benefiting from total Tory incompetence. Small wonder that they have refused all requests to be transparent about the scale and impact of the scheme. https://t.co/muSIZqLkSa
Quick reminder of the highlights from the most recent law pages from @thetimes. Why judicial moves to tackle crown court backlogs are doomed to fail. https://t.co/hP7iGub7VN
Today we removed another 37 people who had no right to be in the UK, on one of our regular returns flights. This included criminals convicted of domestic violence, stalking, firearm offences, and grievous bodily harm. https://t.co/NExI6lH8gc
Shadow justice secretary @ShabanaMahmood highlights how additional #probation resources are “glaringly absent” from expanding early #prison release scheme, asking: “How will Govt ensure that inexperienced probation staff are not left unsupported to supervise dangerous offenders?” https://t.co/7TFuJtoK4G
'Foreign criminals are reducing the capacity of the prison system.' Speaking in the House of Commons, @AlexChalkChelt says that foreign criminals 'should be removed back to their countries of origin wherever possible'. https://t.co/gZoOlMYklT 📺 Sky 501 and YouTube https://t.co/UfIToxlpgX
"We will radically change the way Foreign National Offenders (FNO) cases are processed." Justice secretary Alex Chalk says the government will amend deportation sentences to allow the deportation of more FNOs. https://t.co/PAiZ4D1jU3 📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, and YouTube https://t.co/RZwcovMeBA
"We will radically change the way Foreign National Offenders (FNO) cases are processed. Justice secretary Alex Chalk says the government will amend deportation sentences to allow the deportation of more FNOs. https://t.co/PAiZ4D1jU3 📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, and YouTube https://t.co/nb9wID6tct
Alex Chalk announced he will extend a scheme which allows "certain low-level offenders" to be released from prison early because of overcrowding https://t.co/jMOkwulk1L
🔴 Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice is making a statement on Foreign National Offenders, Prisons and Probation. Watch live ⬇️
“That’s what the party opposite is reduced to. Soft on crime; free all the prisoners” https://t.co/mDAeiAf9Tz
AFTER 1230 TODAY: Statement: Update on Foreign National Offenders, Prisons and Probation @AlexChalkChelt
The early release scheme has been mired in opacity since the very beginning. Today, I have written to @AlexChalkChelt to demand answers on why the Government has expanded the scheme to an unprecedented 60 days. The Justice Secretary has a duty to be candid with the public. https://t.co/XhcqNWGqUQ
“The government is literally running out of space” @neilsonandrew and @TomSwarbrick1 discuss the possibility of prisoners being granted early release to help reduce the prison population. https://t.co/NmQA7ayfb6
“The moves came as internal figures obtained by The Telegraph showed male prisons were 99.7 per cent full, with just 238 spaces left out of an operational capacity of 85,000. Women’s jails are 96.9 per cent full with just 118 spaces left. ‘It is dire’ A prison service source… https://t.co/BRxSBVqucf
NEW: Britain has only around 700 detention spaces available for migrants who arrive "illegally" -- far fewer than the thousands needed to meet the ambitions of Rishi Sunak’s migration policy, according to my calculations 1/3 https://t.co/tqWjtPcHKm
Fewer than 250 spaces are left in men’s jails in England and Wales, The @Telegraph can reveal, as the Justice Secretary sanctioned the biggest early release scheme from prisons in nearly 20 years. @AlexChalkChelt @CourtsIdle @HMCTSgovuk https://t.co/FxRFA5L4eg https://t.co/qGcEgye2bI
Scheme to free offenders early expanded due to lack of space in prisons Full story ⬇️ https://t.co/K1dbSfszd6
Prisoners could be let out 60 days early to relieve crowded jails in England and Wales https://t.co/qdyyV084Lt
Labour’s @ShabanaMahmood says the public will be "rightly alarmed" by the prisons announcement snuck out “under the cover of darkness” “Successive Conservative governments have failed to build enough prison places,” she says https://t.co/c2XjFNnM1i
NEW: Prisoners will be released up to 60 days early under govt initiative to free up rammed jails. MoJ slipped this out at around 8pm tonight via a written ministerial statement. https://t.co/1fSfNksVaE
"Britain has only removed 1.3% of the 114,000 people who entered the country illegally, some of whom represent such a threat they are being ‘monitored daily’ by the security services. This is lunacy." https://t.co/YVanhNk8Ll
“The government isn’t facing up to the challenges plaguing the justice system.” Our president Nick Emmerson tells @NewLawJournal, as we reacted to last week’s Spring Budget. https://t.co/dW2UrslCkx https://t.co/YTt7XyDiFC
The justice secretary has warned Rishi Sunak that his delay in passing laws to scrap short sentences risks prisons running out of space by Easter and sparking riots ⬇️ https://t.co/tI5QACzFNu
Excl: Alex Chalk has warned Rishi Sunak that his delays to passing the landmark Sentencing Bill threatens to leave prisons full by Easter. Drastic measures such as housing prisoners on boats have been considered: https://t.co/18or1JlKQL
📈 “Thousands of people are left in limbo for years waiting for their cases to come to trial.” President Nick Emmerson tells @lawsocgazette about rising #Backlogs, as 180 alleged rape cases more than two years old will be prioritised for trial this year. https://t.co/7ZNvkQMGAf https://t.co/WZ6m7PO3dN
East of England prisons nearing capacity, MoJ figures show https://t.co/i8WeEgG4oK