The UK government is set to release a second batch of 1,000 prisoners early on Tuesday as part of an ongoing effort to address chronic overcrowding in its jails.
This follows a controversial policy that saw 1,700 inmates freed early last month.
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood assured the public that previous errors, which resulted in 37 ineligible prisoners being mistakenly released, have now been rectified. The new review of sentencing will explore tougher non-custodial punishments for certain offenders to ensure that prison space is available for more dangerous individuals.
Among the proposed measures are “nudge” technologies—such as watches or apps designed to encourage compliance with imposed conditions—and home detention curfews. The early release scheme allows some non-violent offenders who meet specific criteria to be released after serving 40 percent of their sentence, compared to the usual 50 percent.
Former Justice Secretary David Gauke, who is leading the review, noted that the prison population currently stands at around 89,000 and is increasing by approximately 4,500 each year, with 90 percent of those sentenced to custody being reoffenders.
Mahmood emphasized that the early release initiative was necessitated by a prison crisis inherited from the prior Conservative administration. Following Labour’s victory in early July, ministers uncovered a system on the brink of “collapse,” which could have led to a significant breakdown of law and order.
“In August, we were down to fewer than 100 available spaces across the entire country,” she stated during an interview with Sky News.
Gauke, who previously advocated for abolishing jail terms of six months or less—except for violent and sexual crimes—stressed that the current reoffending rates indicate that prisons are “clearly not working.” He added, “This review will explore what punishment and rehabilitation should look like in the 21st century and how we can transition our justice system out of crisis toward a sustainable future.”
