Hundreds of prisoners are being released across England and Wales today in the third phase of Labour’s early-release scheme.
The 650 inmates being freed under the controversial programme include people serving sentences of up to three years and two months.
One prisoner was seen smiling as he left HMP Wandsworth in south-west London this morning, carrying three large holdall bags.
The scheme was introduced to relieve overcrowding in jails. It allows eligible inmates to leave after serving one-third of their sentence, rather than the previous halfway point.
At least 1,350 prisoners have been released early since October 1 during the first two phases of the programme.
The scheme is being widened each month to cover prisoners serving longer terms. Its tenth and final phase, scheduled for early June, will apply to those given sentences of 12 years or more.
Official figures show that prisons in England and Wales remain close to capacity despite the first two rounds of releases.
The prison population was 87,033 yesterday, leaving only 1,951 available spaces.
A Reform UK MP has said the party would deport foreign offenders ‘to their country of origin’ as part of its response to prison overcrowding.
Sarah Pochin, the MP for Runcorn and Helsby in Cheshire, visited Wandsworth prison as the third wave of early releases began this morning.
She said she had come to the prison because she felt ‘so strongly about the safety of women now at risk because of the early release of these prisoners, many of whom will be domestic violence perpetrators’.
A prisoner smiles as he leaves HMP Wandsworth in south-west London
Michael Bogle, 38, stole more than £100 worth of washing powder from Sainsbury’s just 24 hours after his early release from HMP Wandsworth
Asked how she would address overcrowding, she said: ‘One very easy solution, which the Reform Party would do if we get into government next time, is to immediately empty all of our prisons of foreign national offenders.’
She added: ‘We would deport them back to their country of origin.’
Last month, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said officers were arresting two or three offenders each week who had been released early under the programme.
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Police leaders have warned that the problem could worsen as more offenders are released under Labour’s reforms.
‘I’m worried about the number of offenders being released into communities,’ Sir Mark told LBC radio.
‘At the moment we’re arresting two or three early release offenders a week who are being recalled to prison or doing further offending.
‘We’re getting increasing numbers of tag breaches to enforce that probation is sending to us. It’s now over 100 tag breaches a day in London – and rising.
‘So, we take them to court. We’re seeing 95 per cent plus of the tagging breaches that we arrest are simply being bailed back into the community on the same conditions. So, there is zero sanction.’
London shoplifter Michael Bogle, 38, stole more than £100 worth of washing powder from Sainsbury’s just 24 hours after being released early.
Over the following three days, he stole a further £98.85 worth of detergent from Tesco.
The 38-year-old was also caught entering a Sainsbury’s store three times to steal, despite being banned from going near the premises.
Bogle, a registered sex offender, had served only 78 days for breaching a criminal behaviour order and a 32-week suspended sentence for shoplifting.
He was arrested again and sentenced to a further eight months in prison.
Ben Cockburn, chair of the National Association of Probation Officers (Napo), has warned that the early-release programme presents an ‘existential’ threat to the probation service.
He said Napo had asked ministers to place the entire service in special measures as it prepares for a ‘once in a generation’ crisis.
Ministers have maintained that safeguards are being introduced to protect the public despite the large number of offenders being released at the same time.
Justice Secretary Alex Norris has described the plans as ‘the biggest expansion of tagging ever’. They include new ‘restriction zones’ designed to limit offenders’ movements through GPS monitoring.
However, an earlier report found that almost half of electronic tags were not fitted on time, resulting in breaches of court and prison orders.