Today, criminals across England and Wales are being released early from prison due to overcrowding. This is not a new phenomenon, but the scale of the release is unprecedented. Normally, criminals are released in smaller numbers, but today around 1,700 people will be walking out of prison and onto the streets.
This release is a result of a lack of prison capacity. England and Wales are running out of prison places, with capacity coming within 100 places of being exhausted in recent weeks. There are simply not enough spaces to hold all of the people who have been incarcerated.
The decision was made by the government, who argue they have no other option. The Probation Service and others have had time to prepare for the release, putting in plans for each of the 1,700 people being set free today.
Despite ministers stating that dangerous people will not be released early, there are those who are deeply worried about what is happening. Workers in the Probation Service and the Prison Service fear for public safety. There are concerns that members of rival gangs could be released at the same time and end up fighting in the prison car park moments after walking free. If one of those released early reoffends, there could be serious consequences for public safety.
This is just the start, as a similar number of offenders will be released early next month too. While the government acknowledges that there are always risks when offenders are released, they hope they have done as much as they can to mitigate those risks. The rest of us will have to wait and see
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
