Exact number of prisoners to be freed early revealed as jails runs out of cells

18 July 2024 , 12:47

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Exact number of prisoners to be freed early revealed as jails runs out of cells

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood gave details of the early release scheme for prisoners as she confirmed how many offenders will be let out in a Commons statement

Shabana Mahmood has confirmed more than 5,000 prisoners will be freed early from jail over a two-month period.

The Justice Secretary revealed the details of the early release scheme as she confirmed how many offenders and when they would be let out in the House of Commons "Our impact assessment estimates that around 5,500 attendees will be released in September and October," she told MPs. 

The Labour minister last week announced plans to release prisoners serving less than four years after as little as 40% of their sentence. Ms Mahmood said she was forced to trigger the emergency measure “to avert a disaster” as she hit out at the Tory Government for failing to get a grip on overcrowding in prisons across England and Wales.

Speaking in the Commons, she confirmed prisoners on sentences including for violent, sex offences and terror-related offences will not be included in the scheme. This will also be the case for a series of domestic violence offences. 

Ms Mahmood told MPs prisons are in "crisis and at the point of collapse" as she said the prison estate has been running at 99% capacity for the last 18 months. She questioned why Rishi Sunak didn’t listen to calls to take action as she said she was having to act to prevent a "block" in the system which could result in police having nowhere to take criminals.

"If we fail to act now, we face the prospect of a total breakdown of law and order," she said, adding that the Government is clear that releasing offenders early is the "safest way forward". She continued: "I understand that some may feel worried for this decision but I can assure the House that we are taking every precaution available to us." 

The new scheme, which will come into effect in September, will give more notice to probation staff about prisoners’ release dates compared to the Tories’ early release scheme, which saw offenders released up to 70 days early at a moment’s notice. A total of 10,083 prisoners were released under the previous End of Custody Supervised Licence scheme between October and June, according to official stats published on Friday.

Elizabeth Baker