Prisoners freed early in England and Wales risk living on the streets, say probation officers
Summary
Hundreds of prisoners in England and Wales will be released early to reduce overcrowding in prisons. Authorities warn that many may have no proper housing after release, making it harder for probation officers to support and monitor them.Key Facts
- Around 2,000 prisoners, including violent offenders, will be freed over the next month, with 3,000 more released gradually within a year.
- Early release numbers were cut from 6,000 after intervention by Andy Burnham, the UK prime minister.
- Prisoners should have housing planned before release to lower chances of reoffending, but many towns have full hostels and nowhere else for released prisoners to go.
- The probation system is facing staff shortages, high workloads, and difficulties with electronic monitoring tags for offenders.
- Some serious offenders, like those involved in child grooming gangs or manslaughter, are excluded from the early release plan.
- The Ministry of Justice is expanding electronic monitoring as part of support for released prisoners, but tags are often fitted late, causing rule breaches.
- Prison population in England and Wales has increased by over 1,700 people in the past three months despite the early release scheme.
- The early release scheme comes under the 2026 Sentencing Act, which allows prisoners to be released after serving a third of their sentence instead of 40%.
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