The Ministry of Justice in the UK has initiated an emergency plan to ease overcrowding in prisons by releasing up to 1,750 offenders. The plan which aims to free up 5,500 beds begins with the unlocking of cells and the release of prisoners on Tuesday morning. The Chief Inspector of Prisons expressed his main concern as whether the released prisoners would have accommodation, which is a critical factor in preventing ex-offenders from becoming homeless. Reports show that last week, the number of inmates had reached a record population of over 88,500. The situation had been going on for months and was worsened by riots that occurred earlier in the summer.
Under the emergency plans which were first announced in July, inmates serving sentences of under five years will be released on license to the community after 40% of their term has been spent in jail instead of the usual 50%. From the 22nd of October, the scheme will be extended to offenders serving fixed sentences of more than five years. However, the plan does not include violent offenders who have been sentenced to at least four years, sex offenders or domestic abusers.
The early release scheme which was developed during the reign of the Conservative party but implemented by the current Labour government, has raised concerns from women’s groups who fear that women and children may be unintended victims of the emergency plans. Rehabilitation experts on the other hand warn that the early release may compromise their vital work in turning around the lives of offenders.
Each former prisoner will have to meet with their probation officer on the day of their release to ensure they understand the restrictions in their release license, including curfews and bans on entering areas connected to their offending. They will also be supervised by probation officers. Probation officers who are already overstretched have raised concerns about the scheme, which will create extraordinary pressure on stretched prison services to ensure prisoners are ready to leave
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