London [UK], September 11: Hundreds of UK prisoners are being freed early to cut overcrowding in jails, as a watchdog warned it was "inevitable" some would reoffend and end up back behind bars.
Around 1,700 prisoners were expected to be released on Tuesday from jails across England and Wales, in addition to the around 1,000 inmates normally freed each week. Pictures showed groups of inmates walking out of Brixton, Durham and Liverpool jails. Around 400 prisoners are reportedly due to be freed from London prisons alone.
Downing Street said the policy had to be brought in to avoid "unchecked criminality" where the police and courts are unable to lock anyone up because there are no free cells. Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures showed the prison population hit a record high of 88,521 on Friday, having risen by more than 1,000 inmates over the past four weeks. (PA Media/dpa)
Source: Qatar Tribune