- The first wave of early prison releases has commenced across England and Wales, with around 700 inmates initially freed as part of a scheme to release up to 5,000 prisoners over the next year to relieve severe overcrowding.
- Inmates departing locations such as HMP Durham and HMP Cardiff were seen making public statements and thanking prime minister Andy Burnham upon their early release.
- The emergency measure follows Ministry of Justice data showing the prison population jumped by over 1,700 in three months to reach 87,499, though rapists and serious child sex offenders have been explicitly excluded from the scheme.
- Justice Secretary Alex Norris insisted that released offenders would be subjected to the toughest supervision in British history, while the Government works to build 14,000 new prison places to secure future capacity.
- The decision has faced strong backlash from critics, with Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy branding the policy an insult to victims and Victims Commissioner Claire Waxman warning that local preparations remain insufficient.
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