Badenoch calls for emergency legislation to stop early release scheme
Summary
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch is urging Prime Minister Andy Burnham to quickly pass emergency laws to stop the early release of hundreds of prisoners planned under a new scheme. The scheme aims to reduce prison overcrowding but has faced criticism for potentially releasing serious offenders like rapists and paedophiles.Key Facts
- About 700 prisoners were scheduled for early release in September under the current scheme.
- The scheme was paused last week by Burnham after complaints from victims and survivors.
- Early release laws were first introduced by the previous Conservative government in 2023 due to prison overcrowding.
- By June 2024, 10,000 prisoners had already been freed early before the Labour government took office.
- The new program would have released another 6,000 prisoners starting September 2024.
- Serious offenders like murderers serving life sentences are excluded from early release, but eligibility mainly depends on sentence length, not offense type.
- Badenoch demands that Parliament act immediately to keep dangerous criminals in prison.
- The Labour government says the early release plans are necessary to manage overcrowded prisons and protect public safety.
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