Thousands of prisoners set for early release in bid to ease pressure on overcrowded jails

Thousands of prisoners are set for an early release from jail in a government attempt to tackle chronic overcrowding issues.

According to The Times, the Ministry of Justice has upped the number of inmates due for early release after realising that ‘tens of thousands’ of qualifying offenders were missing out.

Many of those serving sentences for violence, burglary and public order crimes, among other offences, will now be able to return home early with an electronic tag and 7pm to 7am curfew under the home detention curfew (HDC) scheme.

Officials found that only 9,041 inmates were released under HDC in 2016 while more than 35,000 remained behind bars.

There are currently 86,700 prisoners in Britain’s jails compared to just 44,246 in 1993. Overcrowding has resulted in record levels of violence and drug problems.

MORE: Seven things you didn’t know about the Angel of the North on iconic sculpture’s 20th birthday
MORE: Majority of Brits have bought alcohol while underage – but it is now far less common

Prisoners serving sentences of between three months and four years are eligible to qualify for early release under HDC; after being risk assessed, they can be released between two weeks and 120 days early, depending on the length of their sentence.

An MoJ spokesperson told The Times: “We are simplifying the HDC process, reducing the number of forms used in the assessment process and maintaining the strict eligibility and suitability tests.

“This will mean governors can make well-informed, more timely decisions and ensure robust risk management plans are in place for offenders released under the scheme.”

But Philip Hollobone, Tory MP for Kettering, remained unconvinced, saying: “The public does not like prisoners being released early from their sentence. The public wants criminals to serve the sentence in full in jail. The further we get away from that, the less sentences are a fitting punishment for the crime that has been committed.”