More than 1,000 people leave prison early in second round of releases | UK News

The government has begun releasing another 1,100 prisoners early as part of a plan to ease prison overcrowding.

Prisoners from HMP Brixton are the first to be released today, with more expected in Wandsworth, Pentonville and other locations across the country.

Although people convicted of murder, sex offenses or terrorism will not be eligible for release, those serving sentences of more than five years will be able to qualify for the scheme, which aims to free up an additional 5,500 prison places in England and Wales.

Under the scheme, prisoners can now be released if they have served 40% of their sentence, rather than the previous 50%.

At the time of the first release in September, when 1,700 offenders were released early, Britain’s prisons were nearly full, with a source telling the BBC that at one point in the summer there were only 80 places available.

The initiative comes ahead of a major sentencing review chaired by former Justice Secretary David Gauke, which aims to explore tougher penalties outside prison while ensuring there is space to jail the most dangerous criminals.

It will look at using technology to put criminals in a “prison outside of prison” and force offenders to do community work to benefit society.

The government is turning to foreign jurisdictions for ideas on how this could work, such as Texas, where authorities used credits for good behavior.

Punishments outside of prison may include the use of nudge technology, a sobriety tag, or a house arrest curfew.

Nudge watches or apps can be used to encourage compliance with conditions imposed on offenders.

“We now have the opportunity to change and change what punishment looks like outside of prison,” said Justice Minister Shabana Mahmood.

A senior prison service source said: “We are particularly interested in nudge technology, such as a wristwatch that says: ‘Have you contacted your probation officer?’ Have you come to see a psychiatrist? These are not things that limit your freedom, but they are very helpful in terms of enforcing rules of conduct and pushing for compliance.”

Community alternatives and fines in lieu of imprisonment will be considered, as will the impact of short custodial sentences.

The review will also consider whether more can be done to combat the high levels of offenses and crimes committed against women and girls by introducing sentences that reflect the seriousness of the acts.

Ms Mahmood said: “We want the review to look at a broader framework when it comes to sentencing, particularly as this is essential to meeting our commitment to halve the rate of violence against women and girls.

“Obviously, prison time plays a role, but prevention also plays a big role.

“I fully expected that they would look at sex offenders and sex crimes as part of this review.”

The number of prison places fluctuates, but it is known that there are about 89,000 in total.

The government has committed to creating 14,000 additional prison places.

Mr Gauke said: “It is clear that our prisons are not working. The prison population increases by approximately 4,500 each year, and nearly 90% of those sentenced to prison are repeat offenders.

“This review will look at what punishment and rehabilitation should look like in the 21st century, and how we can lead our justice system out of crisis and towards a long-term, sustainable future.”

In 2019, when he was justice minister, Gauke argued there was a “very strong case” for abolishing prison sentences of six months or less, except in cases of violent and sexual offences.

The Prison Reform Trust said Mr Gauke would step down as a trustee of the charity while he chaired the review.

The trust said the average prison sentence for serious indictable offenses is now 62.4 months – almost two years longer than in 2010.

Mr Gauke told the BBC that over the past three decades, “governments of all stripes have been very quick to announce new and longer prison sentences, but have not been so quick to expand prison capacity.”

“The fact is that the prison population is growing faster than we can build prisons,” he said.

Mr Gauke added that his role would be to explore whether new technologies could play a greater role in punishment and rehabilitation outside prison.

“We now have access to more sophisticated electronic tagging than we had in the past, we can monitor alcohol and drug use,” he said.

“I think it does raise questions about whether we can do more with people coming out of prison. there is proper punishment, the public is protected, but they have more opportunities for rehabilitation.”

Mark Day, deputy director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: “The current crisis of opportunity has led our criminal justice system to collapse. Emergency measures are not a long-term solution. We urgently need to tackle the rampant sentencing inflation that has led to chronic overcrowding and has driven prison numbers and the use of imprisonment to unsustainable levels.”

The Law Society welcomed the review, saying: “It is time to explore alternatives to the use of detention, which is a costly and often counterproductive form of punishment.”

The cost of punishment outside prison is estimated to be around £5,000 per year per person, compared to more than £50,000 for a year of imprisonment.

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