By james art By Grace Collison
The government’s plan to reduce prison overcrowding starts on 10 September 2024, under the early release scheme. HMP Durham will be affected given it is the most overcrowded prison in England and Wales, at 172% capacity.
Sir Keir commented: “We need to release people sooner because otherwise we will have an absolute crisis in our prisons.”
The scheme offers offenders serving less than five years to be released after 40% of their sentence, instead of the standard 50%. The government stressed that those convicted of serious crimes such as “sexual, violent, domestic violence, terrorism and national security offenders” would not be released.
We need to release people sooner because otherwise we will have an absolute crisis in our prisons.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer
On the first day of the scheme, 1,700 prisoners were released. Among those freed is Jason Hoganson, a Hollywood actor who was jailed for 18 months in August for assaulting his ex-girlfriend in the street last December, seen giving a thumbs up. Mahmoud told MPs on Tuesday that the released prisoners could be temporarily accommodated in hotels.
The government aims to publish long-term plans to prevent prisons from reaching full capacity, such as building new prisons. Martin Jones, Chief Inspector of Probation, said some released prisoners could “certainly re-offend”. The outcome of the early release scheme has yet to be written, leaving many questioning the future of prisons and the ability of released prisoners to rehabilitate themselves into society.
Image: Gordon Griffiths via Wikimedia Commons
