Justice Minister Alex Davies-Jones defended Andy Burnham's plan to ease overcrowding in jails by releasing 4,500 inmates early over the next ten months. Prison governors have voiced alarm about the "revolving door" of criminals being released and reoffending, with some warning that the situation will lead to increased pressure on police and more recalls to prison. Figures show a record number of 51,419 inmates were recalled in England and Wales after breaching their licence terms in the year to March. The changes come as the PM recently altered the policy to keep PC Andrew Harper's killers behind bars, which may impact hundreds of other dangerous offenders.
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Prison governors have voiced alarm over the 'revolving door' of criminals being released early – as a minister defended Andy Burnham's latest scheme to ease overcrowding in jails.
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minister → see → jails
Some 4,500 inmates are due to be let out earlier than planned over the next ten months in a desperate bid to alleviate strain on the system.
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inmates → let → system
Over the weekend the PM changed the policy yet again to keep PC Andrew Harper's killers behind bars.
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PM → change → bars
However, there are warnings that his response to a furious outcry will open cell doors for hundreds of dangerous offenders - and heap pressure on police trying to monitor them.
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response → be → them
In a round of broadcast interviews this morning, justice minister Alex Davies-Jones acknowledged that the change will mean prison places are going to be 'very tight'.
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places → acknowledge → interviews
But she argued that Mr Burnham had 'kept pushing' to limit releases, despite saying earlier in the summer that he had done as much as he could.
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he → argue → much
Prison governors have been openly critical of the 'revolving door' of early releases since a push to ease overcrowding began in 2024.
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push → ease → 2024
Andy Burnham changed the early release policy yet again at the weekend to keep PC Andrew Harper's killers behind bars
Prison governors have been openly critical of the 'revolving door' of early releases since a push to ease overcrowding began in 2024
One from a jail in the north of England told the BBC that the latest proposals are 'all short-term solutions and we need space now'.
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we → change → space
'Providing additional cells in existing prisons will mean more prison staff needed to monitor that – it's not easy,' they said.
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they → provide → that
They added: 'We see the same people coming back after being released early and reoffending again, or breaking their [release] rules.'
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people → add → rules
Another governor in the north of England said the criminal justice system 'will grind to a halt' unless overcrowding is eased.
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overcrowding → say → halt
The continued: 'You release someone to serve the rest of their sentence in the community and you think 'now I have some extra room', but then they're back again and you just go round in circles.
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you → continue → circles
It's a big problem in the [men's prisons] and you worry that this is what will happen again when all these new people are let out.'
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people → worry → prisons
One prison boss in the Midlands described the situation as a 'revolving door'.
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boss → describe → door
Figures released last month showed that a record numbers of criminals were being recalled to prison in England and Wales.
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numbers → release → England
Some 51,419 inmates were put back behind bars in the year to March after breaching the terms of their licence, according to Ministry of Justice (MoJ) data.
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inmates → put → data
Some 70,066 inmates have been freed early since September 2024, when the Government brought in emergency measures to tackle the overcrowding crisis.
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Government → free → crisis
Another 5,000 prisoners were due to be released early from next month, down from 6,000 after ministers intervened to exempt rapists and serious child sex offenders.
But in yet another U-turn on the controversial scheme, Mr Burnham said yesterday that anyone convicted of unlawful killing will be excluded.
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anyone → release → killing
Thames Valley Police officer Andrew Harper was killed in the line of duty on August 15, 2019
Mugshots of Jessie Cole, left, and Albert Bowers who are no longer eligible for early release
It means Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, who were convicted of PC Harper's manslaughter in 2020, will no longer be eligible for early release next year.
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who → kill → release
To make the change, ministers are finding extra cell spaces by releasing inmates serving indefinite terms under imprisonment for public protection sentences (IPPs) – which were given to offenders considered a significant risk to the public between 2005 and 2012.
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which → make → 2005
Current and former ministers warned that the solution could pose a far higher risk to the public because many IPP prisoners have been assessed as too dangerous to release.
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prisoners → warn → public
Ms Davies-Jones insisted that 'release does not mean freedom' for those let out under the scheme.
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release → insist → scheme
She told BBC Breakfast: 'When these offenders come out of prison, the presumption will be that they will all be placed on a GPS monitoring tag.
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they → tell → tag
'We're introducing for the first time ever a world first restriction zone to limit the freedom and location that the offender can go, and we are also banning them from things like pubs, concert public spaces, taking away their driver's licence, mandatory work placements.
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we → introduce → licence
All of this being carried out to ensure that the victims are put front and centre, that they do have consideration, because previously they weren't considered.'
Jason Hogg, the Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police, said he was relieved the killers of PC Harper would not be eligible for early release.
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killers → carry → release
But he told LBC that having to tag and monitor prisoners granted early release would be 'difficult' for forces across the country.
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having → tell → country
He added: 'The police haven't received any additional funding for this additional work, so I'm going to be having to move resources away from one area of business to another to seek out, arrest, and bring before the court individuals who don't follow the restrictions that they will be set.
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they → add → that
We don't quite know what the demand will be on that, but I think it'll be reasonably high, so it's definitely more work for us.'
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it → know → us
