{"id":27348,"date":"2024-03-12T06:15:45","date_gmt":"2024-03-12T10:15:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=27348"},"modified":"2024-03-12T06:15:45","modified_gmt":"2024-03-12T10:15:45","slug":"prisoners-could-be-released-up-to-two-months-early-to-ease-overcrowding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2024\/03\/12\/prisoners-could-be-released-up-to-two-months-early-to-ease-overcrowding\/","title":{"rendered":"Prisoners could be released up to two months early to ease overcrowding"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Some prisoners could be released up to two months early to relieve overcrowding in jails in England and Wales, the justice secretary has said.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Alex Chalk said the policy would only apply to “certain low-level offenders”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Last autumn, he announced “less serious offenders” could be\u00a0released up to 18 days early<\/a>. This has now been extended to between 35 and 60 days.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Labour said the government had failed to build enough prisons and that the announcement had been “snuck out”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The prison population has ballooned in recent decades as a result of tougher sentences and court backlogs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr Chalk said the changes – which were published on the UK Parliament website – would be for a “limited period”. No timeframe was given.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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He added that “where necessary, electronic monitoring will be applied” to “enhance public protection”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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According to figures from the Ministry of Justice, the prison population stood at 88,220 as of 8 March. Operational capacity is just over 89,000.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Projections released by the government suggest that the prison population could reach 94,400 by March 2025 and between 93,100 and 106,300 by March 2027.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The Howard League, a prisons charity, states that the prison estate should not hold more than 79,597 people.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr Chalk is the justice secretary for England and Wales. The prison services in Scotland and Northern Ireland are devolved, meaning they are under the control of the respective nations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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As well as the early release of some prisoners, Mr Chalk outlined a number of other points to “ensure” the government has “sufficient prison capacity in order to lock up the most serious and dangerous offenders”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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These included:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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