Britain to release inmates in move to free up prisons running at 99 per cent capacity. What impact will it have?
In order to tackle the situation of over packed prisons, more than a thousand recalled prisoners will be released after 28 days under emergency measures | World
Britain's jails are over packed. Yes, that's right. Justice secretary Shabana Mahmood has warned Britain’s prisons are at 99 per cent capacity and in five months there will be no place left for a prisoner in the UK jails.
In order to tackle the situation, more than a thousand recalled prisoners will be released after 28 days under emergency measures to free up spaces in prisons in England and Wales, reported Independent.
Under the move, offenders serving one to four years who are recalled to prison will be released. While certain sexual offenders, violent criminals and serious domestic abusers will also be excluded.
What impact is the release of prisoners going to have on Britain?
Though, Mahmood announce £4.7bn investment to build more prisons, she said it would not be possible to "build our way out of this crisis".
“If our prisons overflow, courts cancel trials, police halt their arrests, crime goes unpunished and we reach a total breakdown of law and order,” she said.
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Each year the prison population is increasing by 3,000, which is equivalent of two entire prisons, said the minister. This is despite the government releasing over 16,000 inmates after serving just 40 per cent of their sentence.
However, Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick argued that the announcement was "failing to protect the public".
"To govern is to choose, and today she's chosen to release early criminals who've reoffended or breached their licences," said Jenrick, as reported by BBC.
Domestic Abuse Commissioner Dame Nicole Jacobs is also against the idea of releasing prisoners.
"Perpetrators of domestic abuse know everything about their victim – where they live, where they work, where their children go to school – they are also extremely willing to breach orders intended to protect victims, time and time again.
"Re-releasing them back into the community after 28 days is simply unacceptable," she said.
Between September and December last year 16,231 prisoners were released on licence under a scheme announced by the government to let out offenders, who have already served 40 per cent rather than 50 per cent of their sentence.
