Burnham warned running prison capacity near limit is ‘big risk’
Summary
The UK government has canceled a plan to release thousands of prisoners early to reduce overcrowding in prisons. Former justice secretary David Gauke warned that running prisons at nearly full capacity is risky and that some prisoners should not be released early due to safety concerns.Key Facts
- About 5,000 prisoners were set to be released early starting in October to ease overcrowding.
- The government removed rapists and serious child sexual abuse offenders from eligibility for early release.
- David Gauke said running prisons at near capacity is a “big risk” and warned of possible problems.
- Gauke also said it would be unsafe to release prisoners serving indefinite jail terms (IPP sentences).
- The government plans to build 14,000 new prison places by 2031, the largest prison-building program since Victorian times.
- £110 million will speed up new prison construction and convert unused prison space into cells.
- The Ministry of Justice also plans to buy land for future prison sites.
- Some politicians criticized the early release plan for still allowing dangerous offenders to be released early.
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