Scottish prisons to release prisoners early from today amid 'rapid rise' in population

Chiara Pollock

26 June 2024 at 1:24 am·1-min read

Hundreds of Scottish prisoners are set to be released early — -Credit: (Image: Danny Lawson/PA Wire)

Hundreds of prisoners across the country are set to be released early following a 'rapid rise' in prison population.

It comes after the MSPs backed the government's plan to ease pressure on Scotland's jails - the first eligible prisoners will be released today June 26 and tomorrow, June 27.

Eligible inmates includes those serving short sentences of under four years and who have 180 days or less left to serve.

The Scottish Parliament approved the Emergency Early Release of individuals on Wednesday, June 12. This has followed a rapid rise in the prison population, which was already "very high and complex".

Prisoners serving life sentences, or those who are currently behind bars for sexual, domestic abuse or terror-based offences, will be excluded from the scheme.

Join Glasgow Live's WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.

There will be four tranches in all, and they will take place on the Wednesday and Thursday of successive weeks.

Timescales:
• Tranche one: Those with less than 45 days left to serve will be released on 26 and 27 June.
• Tranche two: Those with 45-89 days left to serve will be released on 3 and 4 July.
• Tranche three: Those with 90-134 days left to serve will be released on 10 and 11 July.
• Tranche four: Those with 135-180 days left to serve will be released 17 and 18 July.

The Scottish Prison Service say they will be supporting staff, those in their care, their families, partners, and members of the public throughout the process.

Sign up to our daily Glasgow Live newsletter here to receive news and features direct to your inbox

News Shopper
Busy London station CLOSED with major police presence and cordons in place
A busy central London train station has been closed, with a major police presence at the scene.
The Guardian
London Pride: Sadiq Khan leads 32,000 marchers through capital
Annual LBGTQ+ celebration takes place with march between Hyde Park and Trafalgar Square
Manchester Evening News
Footage shows out-of-control XL Bully being chased by armed cops before being shot dead following horror attack on woman
GMP said the dog had to be destroyed 'as the last possible option'
The Independent
Boy, 14, was held down and hacked to death at Wyoming mall while he tried to protect his girlfriend
Dominique Antonio Richard Harris and Jarreth Plunkett, both 15, are accused of murdering 14-year-old Bobby Maher during fatal attack
The Independent
A pair of siblings were stabbed and the sister’s dying words were that the killer was a man from Detroit. Thirty-four years later, he’s been arrested.
Pamela Sumpter, was raped and stabbed, and her brother John Sumpter was stabbed to death, at their Georgia home on July 15, 1990
The Telegraph
German woman given harsher sentence than rapist for calling him ‘pig’
A woman in Germany has been given a harsher sentence than a convicted rapist after she was found guilty of defaming him.
The Telegraph
A Labour landslide would leave the UK unrecognisable
Until now, Sir Keir Starmer has carefully hidden the Labour Party’s radical, hard-Left agenda from the public. But on the brink of the largest majority in nearly a century, his mask has slipped.
Evening Standard
Boy, 12, referred to counter-extremist Prevent officers for saying 'there are only two genders' in video
Agency swooped after child said ‘there's no such thing as non-binary,’ according to mother
News Shopper
‘Hero’ London firefighter raped and abused his own kids in ‘house of horrors’
A brother and sister who helped jail their dad Brian Doye decades after he raped and sexually abused them have spoken out.
OK! Magazine
This Morning star says police have made 'critical error' in hunt for missing Jay Slater
Former Scotland Yard detective Peter Bleksley has voiced his fears over the Spanish police investigation into the disappearance of British teenager Jay Slater, 19
Isle of Wight County Press
Boy, 17, arrested after incident at Island holiday park
Police attended reports of a public order incident.
The Guardian
Grimsby man jailed for sexually assaulting dead bodies in mortuary
Damon Tingay punched the body of one man twice and performed sex acts on two male bodies, court heard
Manchester Evening News
Jay Slater missing in Tenerife: Police hold first press conference - every word said on 13th day of search
The Civil Guard has given its first press conference since the disappearance of Jay Slater, here's every question and answer said translated from Spanish to English
The Independent
New Jersey mother says she drowned her children in a bathtub for ‘religious purposes’
Naomi Elkins said she ‘counted to 50 multiple times to ensure she held them underwater for enough time’
Sky News
Police not looking for anyone else after murder investigation into deaths of paramedic and woman
Police say they are not looking for anyone else after a paramedic was found dead along with a woman at a house in Staffordshire. Detectives had opened a murder investigation after the bodies of Daniel Duffield, 24, from Cannock, and Lauren Evans, 22, from Bridgend in South Wales, were discovered in a property in Hednesford, Cannock, at around 12.30pm on Tuesday afternoon. A file is now being prepared for coroners and the families of the two victims are being supported by specialist officers.
Manchester Evening News
Tracy was abducted, doused in petrol and burnt alive. Her killers are still out there
Tracy Mertens, of Rochdale, was 30 when she was abducted, doused in petrol, set on fire and left to die in a churchyard
Manchester Evening News
Missing Dillon Duffy, 18, found safe and with his dad in London hotel ahead of return home
'To hear my boy's voice was the best feeling in the world'
The Telegraph
Labour plan to put middle-class people ‘at back of queue for access to services’
Labour plans to force public bodies to put middle-class people at the back of the queue for taxpayer-funded services including policing, schools and refuse collection, its opponents claim.
The Telegraph
Driver chains £100,000 Land Rover to tree in bid to stop thieves
A Land Rover owner has chained their car to a tree in London to prevent it being stolen.
York Press
Armed masked robber raids petrol station in North Yorkshire
A masked man armed with a knife jumped over the tills of a North Yorkshire petrol station, stole tobacco and cash, and ordered staff to lie on the ground, police said.

Latest stories