Bullet points of MoJ plans to free up prison spaces set to fail ‘because cells being filled by rioters’

Bullet points of MoJ plans to free up prison spaces set to fail ‘because cells being filled by rioters’
- The UK government's plan to free up prison spaces through the early release scheme is unlikely to succeed due to the influx of new prisoners from recent riots.
- The Prison Governors' Association believes that the prison population will reach capacity again within 12 months, not 18 months as planned.
- The association is urging the government to consider alternative measures to reduce the prison population or build new cells to avoid another overcrowding crisis next summer.
- The early release scheme, which will free 5,500 prisoners over two months, has been launched to address the prison overcrowding issue.
- The scheme has raised concerns about the impact on the probation service, which is expected to be overwhelmed by the large number of prisoners being released.
- The Prison Governors' Association suggests finding alternative ways to release the burden on staff, such as removing the requirement for post-sentence supervision.
- The government has confirmed that prisoners who have completed a sentence for a serious crime and are serving a consecutive sentence for a lesser offence will be allowed to leave prison earlier than planned.