England and Wales Male Prisons Drop Below 1,800 Free Spaces Before 5,000 Early Releases
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 19
England and Wales Male Prisons Drop Below 1,800 Free Spaces Before 5,000 Early Releases
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 19
Summary
Fewer than 1,800 places are now available in male prisons in England and Wales, with more than 83,000 spaces occupied — the lowest spare capacity since March.
Prison staff told the BBC that recalls for licence breaches and reoffending have wiped out much of the room created by a presumption against jail terms of under one year.
Vacant space has been trending down since June, sharpening pressure ahead of a plan to release about 5,000 inmates early from October to ease overcrowding.
The squeeze comes after Prime Minister Andy Burnham widened exemptions from that early-release scheme following backlash from victims, while the Justice Ministry says it is adding prison capacity, expanding tagging and prioritising public safety.
If freed inmates are constantly recalled for breaching conditions, is the government's desperate bid to empty prisons doomed to fail before it begins?
With electronic tags failing and probation critically understaffed, are dangerous offenders quietly slipping through the cracks of the new early release scheme?
Could abolishing short jail sentences entirely be the controversial secret to finally stopping the endless, dangerous cycle of prison overcrowding?