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Dominic Casciani Domestic Affairs and Legal Affairs Editor
In a bid to ease prison capacity in England and Wales, which is nearing capacity, the UK government has introduced measures to allow prisoners to be released on parole earlier than the end of their sentences. On the 10th, around 650 prisoners began to be released from prisons in England and Wales in the third phase of the scheme.
Some of the recently released prisoners had been in prison for up to three years and two months.
Under the new rules, some prisoners are being released after serving a third of their sentence instead of half. Since October 1, at least 1,350 prisoners have been released on parole twice under the system.
Officials estimate that at least 2,500 people will be released on parole by the end of the year and will spend the remaining two-thirds of their sentences in the community on probation.
Inmates with longer sentences have been gradually being released on parole, and in June next year, inmates who have served sentences of 12 years or more are expected to be released.
Those released on parole include people convicted of disorderly conduct, theft and fraud, which carry a maximum sentence of three years in prison.
Prisoners convicted of violent crimes, such as manslaughter, felonious assault, or minor firearms-related offenses, may also be eligible for parole.
However, there are more than 70 types of crimes that are excluded from prison, including manslaughter, rape, sexual crimes, and child abuse. Prisoners serving life sentences will also not be released.
Weekly prison population statistics show that early release programs have so far been effective in alleviating the prison population crisis.
The latest weekly data released on Wednesday revealed that the prison capacity is 86,982, with space available to accommodate an additional 2,076 inmates if needed.
This means 500 more cells are available at any one time compared to the situation just before the program started in October.
In the UK, prison sentences are becoming longer, and suspects and defendants are waiting longer for trial, which means prison capacity is nearing its limit. The number of people returning to prison after being released on parole continues to increase.
Victim organizations and survivors have also expressed concerns about efforts to get prisoners released early. Refuge, an organization that supports survivors of domestic violence, told the BBC last month that some of those released from prison were domestic abuse perpetrators.
Those released early usually have to be prepared to be fitted with electronic tags and other forms of monitoring for the remaining two-thirds of their sentence.
After being released from prison, he will be placed under probation. Probation officers are responsible for encouraging offenders to participate in rehabilitation courses and other programs, as well as ensuring that offenders comply with parole conditions, such as being prohibited from entering certain areas or having contact with victims.
The government has not yet published statistics on the rate at which prisoners are remanded to prison for violating parole conditions.
According to the latest statistics, 12,338 prisoners were sent back to prison for violating the conditions of their release between April and June. This was a 12% increase compared to the same period last year, but a decrease compared to the first three months of the year.
Experts say inmates are often returned to prison because they don't show up to meet with their probation officer or don't live at a certain address. It is said that recidivism is the reason for returning to prison in about 20% of cases.
Probation officers' union NAPO has previously said the early release system places a huge burden on its members, who are responsible for monitoring offenders in the community.
Union members have been voting in recent weeks on a possible strike over pay and working conditions, with the results expected to be announced on the 13th.
The government, through the Department of Justice, had offered probation officers a 5% pay increase, but probationers had asked for a 12% raise as part of a plan to make up for lost revenue due to budget cuts starting in 2010.
The Ministry of Justice said the government's pay rise proposal was fair and accepted by two unions, adding that it would invest £700 million to hire 1,300 more probation officers and introduce artificial intelligence (AI) tools to ease the burden of monitoring offenders.
Kemi Beidnok, leader of the main opposition Conservative Party, has previously criticized the early release program, saying, ``I am concerned that dangerous people who have not completed their sentences and have not been rehabilitated will be released into the streets.''
Meanwhile, more than 10,000 prisoners will be released early between October 2023 and September 2024 under the early release program introduced by the Conservative Party.
(English article: Hundreds more offenders leaving jail on Tuesday)
