UK Frees 650 More Offenders Early as Court Overhaul Drops Some Jury Trials
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Oct 13
UK Frees 650 More Offenders Early as Court Overhaul Drops Some Jury Trials
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Oct 13
Summary
About 650 offenders in England and Wales are due to leave prison early on Tuesday, the second phase of a scheme aimed at easing the prison population crisis.
Under the expanded rules, inmates serving up to 2.5 years can be released after one-third of their sentence rather than half, following an initial wave of about 700 releases on 1 October.
Probation officers say the policy is straining community supervision, with many released offenders expected to be electronically tagged; Napo members meet Tuesday before a ballot that could trigger strike action over a 5% pay offer.
The releases coincide with the government's return to Parliament with court reforms that dropped judge-only trials for some cases but still remove jury trials for complex fraud and keep another 5,500 cases in magistrates' courts.
Ministers say the wider package — including £700 million for probation, 1,300 extra officers and more than 150 accepted Leveson recommendations — is meant to cut prison pressure and reduce court backlogs.