Prisoners leave in supercars minutes after early release

Around 1,100 prisoners have started to be released from prison early as part of a plan to ease overcrowding in prisons.

An inmate was reunited with his children who ran at him with a big hug outside HMP Swaleside, in Kent, while another prisoner was welcomed with an embrace as he was picked up in a black Rolls Royce by a group of men in matching hoodies.

A number of men could be seen walking down the road with bin bags slung over their shoulders, one also shaking hands with a security guard, leaving the prison estates on the Isle of Sheppey, which is home to HMP Swaleside, HMP Standford Hill and HMP Elmley.

A white Bentley and black Mercedes G-wagon were among the cars seen coming to pick up people outside the prisons.

Men are seen leaving HMP Leyhill in Gloucestershire on the morning the government releases prisoners early in a second round of releases (Picture: SWNS)

One inmate from HMP Swaleside said ‘big up Keir Starmer’ as he was released from prison.

Daniel Dowling-Brooks, 29, who was jailed for seven years for kidnapping and GBH, was greeted by family and friends outside the prison gates.

He told the Sun the first thing he would do is ‘go to McDonald’s, go to my hostel and follow all the rules’.

Another person pulled up outside HMP Ford this morning in an Rolls Royce Cullinan- one of the world’s most expensive super cars.

When asked who he was there to collect, the driver simply said: ‘The Pope’.

Ahmed, 27, spoke to Metro outside Wandsworth prison while waiting for his cousin to be released.

His cousin was jailed for 10 years in 2019 for allegedly laundering millions of pounds, but is set to be released today as part of the early release scheme.

Mercedes and Bentley cars leave HM Prison Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey (Picture: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)

James Sharp, who was seerving a 6 year sentence for drugs offences, is reunited with his mum Amanda after his early release from Holme House Prison in Stockton upon Tees (Picture: North News)

Ahmed was in HMP Wandsworth himself for 7 months awaiting trial for ABH, and pulled up to collect his cousin today in a £250,000 Lamborghini Urus.

He said: ‘it’s not fair in there, they treat you like dogs. You only get 30 minutes of your cell a day, I’ve seen people go insane. 

‘The toilets are broken, guards eat the prisoners food.

‘When you’re in prison all you can think about is getting out and smellling the fresh air. 

‘Prison doesn’t rehabilitate you, paedophiles and rapists are getting sent to jail and serving less than my cousin who was sentenced to 10 years. The sentence guidelines don’t make sense.’ 

Although people convicted of murder, sex crimes or terrorism will not be eligible for release, those serving a sentence of more than five years will be able to qualify for the scheme, which seeks to free up an additional 5,500 prison places in England and Wales.

Under the scheme, prisoners can now be released if they have completed 40% of their sentence, down from 50% which was previously the case.

Around 1,100 prisoners are set to be released today (Picture: North News)

At the time of the first set of releases in September, when 1,700 offenders were released early, Britain’s prisons were almost at capacity, with a source telling the BBC there were only 80 vacant spaces at one point during the summer.

Harry, 27, who is homeless, was part of the last early release scheme but got recalled after failing to attend probation. 

And he said he expects to be recalled again because he won’t attend probation. His original offence was shoplifting several bottles of wine.

He said the early release scheme was ‘bulls****’, saying: “They’re letting the wrong people out and getting the wrong people back in.

‘My original offence was shoplifting but I was drunk.

‘I was on the early release last time but recalled just because I wouldn’t go to probation. 

‘I don’t do probation. They do rehabilitation. If you’re a serial offender then you get rehab.

“I won’t be going. I’m going to get recalled again. 

‘I’ve been homeless for years and will be going to Westminster because that’s where all the homeless support is.’

The initiative comes ahead of a major sentencing review chaired by former justice secretary David Gauke, which aims to explore tougher punishments outside of prison while making sure there is space to incarcerate the most dangerous offenders.

It will consider using technology to place criminals in a ‘prison outside prison’ and forcing offenders to do work in the community to give back to society.

The Government is looking to foreign jurisdictions for ideas about how this could work, such as in Texas, where authorities have used good behaviour credits.

Punishments outside of prison could involve using ‘nudge’ technology, sobriety tags or home detention curfews.

Nudge watches or apps could be used to encourage compliance with conditions imposed on offenders.

‘We have an opportunity now to reshape and redesign what punishment outside of a prison looks like,’ said justice secretary Shabana Mahmood.

A senior prison service source said: ‘We are particularly interested in nudge technology, like a wristwatch that says: “Have you got in touch with your probation officer? Have you turned up at your mental health treatment appointment?” They’re not things that restrict your liberty, but they are very helpful in terms of behaviour compliance and nudge compliance.’

Community alternatives and fines instead of prison time will be examined, as will the impact of short custodial sentences.

The review will also consider whether more can be done to tackle prolific offending and crimes committed against women and girls by drawing sentences that reflect the severity of the act.

Ms Mahmood said: ‘We want the review to consider the broader framework when it comes to sentencing, particularly because in order to meet our commitment on halving the levels of violence against women and girls.

‘Obviously, sentencing time in prison has a role to play, but prevention has a big role to play as well.

‘I would fully be expecting them to be looking at sex offenders and sex offences within the scope of this review.’

The number of prison spaces fluctuates, but it is understood there are some 89,000 prison spaces in total.

The Government has committed to creating 14,000 additional prison spaces.

Mr Gauke said: ‘Clearly, our prisons are not working. The prison population is increasing by around 4,500 every year, and nearly 90% of those sentenced to custody are re-offenders.

‘This review will explore what punishment and rehabilitation should look like in the 21st century, and how we can move our justice system out of crisis and towards a long-term, sustainable future.’

Mr Gauke argued in 2019, when he was justice secretary, that there is a ‘very strong case’ for abolishing jail terms of six months or less, with exceptions made for violent and sexual crimes.

The Prison Reform Trust said Mr Gauke would step down as a trustee from the charity while he is chairing the review.

Prisoners serving five years or more are now elegible for release (Picture: PA Wire)

The trust said the average prison sentence for serious, indictable offences is now 62.4 months – almost two years longer than in 2010.

Mr Gauke told the BBC the last three decades had seen ‘governments of all colours have been very quick to announce new and longer prison sentences, and not so quick to expand prison capacity.

‘It is the case that the prison population is growing faster than we can build prisons,’ he said.

Mr Gauke added his role would explore whether new technology could play a bigger role in punishment and rehabilitation outside prison.

‘We now have access to electronic tagging that is more sophisticated than was the case in the past, we can do drink and drug monitoring,’ he said.

‘I think that does raise questions as to whether we can do more with people out of prison. there’s a proper punishment, the public is protected, but they’re better placed to be rehabilitated.’

The cost of punishment outside prison is estimated at around £5,000 annually per person compared with more than £50,000 to imprison someone for a year.

Elizabeth Baker