The UK government is set to announce a £110 million plan to create an additional 14,000 prison spaces by 2031, a move intended to address growing concerns over the early release of thousands of criminals. The scheme involves converting office space, storage rooms, and laundry rooms within existing prisons into cells.
Justice Secretary Alex Norris is scheduled to unveil the plan on September 1, which will also include funding for land acquisition for future prison sites. A separate £18.9 million investment will be directed towards specialist victim support services. The government has also contracted for the construction of a new 1,700-place prison in Lancashire.
Early Release Policy Shifts
The announcement comes as the government has made several adjustments to its early release policy. Initially, approximately 6,000 inmates were slated for early release starting in September. This number was later reduced to 5,000 after rapists and serious child sex offenders were exempted. Most recently, the policy was further altered to prevent individuals convicted of unlawful killing from being eligible for early release. This change means Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, convicted of the manslaughter of PC Andrew Harper in 2020, will no longer be released early next year.
To accommodate these policy changes and manage prison capacity, the government is reportedly freeing inmates serving indefinite terms for public protection sentences (IPPs). Critics, however, have voiced concerns that this could increase public risk, as many IPP prisoners are assessed as too dangerous for release and would require enhanced monitoring by police forces.
In total, around 4,500 inmates are now expected to be released earlier than originally planned over the next ten months to alleviate pressure on the prison system. Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones acknowledged that this will lead to very tight prison conditions, but stated that offenders released under these circumstances will generally be placed on GPS monitoring tags with movement restrictions.
Political Criticism
The government's handling of prison capacity and early releases has drawn criticism. Conservative justice spokesman Nick Timothy pointed out that there are currently 700 fewer prison places than a year ago. He also noted that the flagship prison project mentioned in the announcement lacked new funding and was initiated by the previous Conservative government. Timothy urged for emergency legislation to prevent what he termed a "scandal" involving the release of "dangerous criminals."
Prison governors have also expressed concern about the "revolving door" effect of early releases, citing instances where individuals are released and subsequently reoffend or violate their release conditions. Justice Secretary Alex Norris visited the Hammersmith Probation Office on August 28, and Prime Minister Andy Burnham spoke during a visit to Tata Steel in Port Talbot, Wales. Mugshots of Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers were also released by Thames Valley Police.