Amid a prison overcrowding crisis, the United Kingdom released 1,700 prisoners convicted of crimes considered “minor” on Tuesday (10). Inmates who had already served at least 40% of their sentences were released, excluding those convicted of serious crimes such as sexual violence, terrorism and domestic violence.
The move Tuesday is a way to “relieve pressure on the prison system,” the left-leaning Labour government led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer said. It comes after the number of people in prisons in England and Wales hit a record 88,521 last week, a significant increase driven in part by arrests made during anti-immigration protests, the government said.
The mass release of prisoners has sparked controversy, particularly among victims of crime. Many were not informed about their abusers’ early release, prompting criticism from the Domestic Violence Commissioner Nicole Jacobs and the Victims of Crime Commissioner Helen Newlove. Both said the lack of communication with victims was “regrettable”, warning of the risks it could entail.
The Labour government has repeatedly justified the move as an “emergency move” to prevent the “collapse of the justice system”. Charlie Taylor, the head of the UK prison system, said the government had “no choice” but to start releasing some of the country’s prisoners, comparing the situation to a “bath about to overflow”. He warned, however, of the risk of reoffending, especially among those who leave with nowhere to go, and said that if they commit crimes again, “they will be locked up again”.
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