Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Rajeev Syal Home affairs editor

MoJ plan to free up prison spaces set to fail ‘because cells being filled by rioters’

Prisoners inside a jail
The early release scheme is due to to be reviewed in 18 months’ time, but the Prison Governors’ Association says the plan will not hold for that time. Photograph: Andrew Aitchison/Corbis/Getty Images

The UK government’s plan to free up prison spaces for at least 18 months with next week’s launch of the early release scheme is doomed to fail because cells are being filled by rioters, the prison governors’ leader has said.

Tom Wheatley, the president of the Prison Governors’ Association, said the lord chancellor, Shabana Mahmood, “will be lucky to get 12 months before we are full again” after charges against hundreds of people for their role in the recent disorder.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.