Inmates to be released early and prisons built to ease overcrowding

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced limits on how long some offenders can be returned to prison, under plans to ease prison overcrowding.

Under the shake-up, offenders recalled for breaching their licences will be released after a fixed 28-day period.

The change is intended to bypass lengthy waits for a parole board assessment before they can be released again.

Mahmood warned that despite promised new prisons, it would not be possible to "build our way out of this crisis".

She said the change would not apply to those who commit a serious further offence – or are deemed to pose a high risk.

She announced that work would start on three new prisons later this year, but the government currently faced running out of spaces for male offenders by November.

Changes from an upcoming review of sentencing, led by former Conservative minister David Gauke, were only likely to be felt from spring next year, she added.

The prison population is 88,087 from a useable operational capacity 89,442, according to the latest official weekly figures.

It is estimated to increase to between 95,700 and 105,200 by March 2029, according to a government analysis released last year.

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