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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Aletha Adu

Crisis measures to tackle English prison overcrowding imminent, says union

A prison officer on a wing
Operation Early Dawn was last triggered by the Conservative government in May to tackle overcrowding in jails. Photograph: Andrew Aitchison/In Pictures/Getty Images

The launch of an emergency plan to avoid prison overcrowding in England could be announced as soon as Monday, the Prison Officers’ Association has said.

The longstanding measure, known as Operation Early Dawn, would allow defendants to be held in police cells until prison beds became available and could mean their court dates are delayed or adjourned at short notice.

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