Search Results for: UK prison overcrowding

The UK Ministry of Justice predicted that more than 100,000 people may be held in custody by 2029, in a report released Thursday. The report alarmed prison overcrowds which may undermine prisoners’ rights in the country. In the report, the ministry provided a low, central and high estimate of the size of the prison population [...]

The Scottish Parliament passed the Prisoners (Early Release) (Scotland) Bill on Tuesday to reduce short-term prisoners’ time served from 50 percent to 40 percent of their sentence. The legislation, introduced on November 18, aims to alleviate pressure on the prison system, with changes expected to take effect in February 2025. The bill applies to prisoners [...]

The UK Ministry of Justice reactivated a temporary measure known as “Operation Early Dawn” on Monday to manage heightened prison overcrowding, aggravated by recent far-right riots across the country. The HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) activated Operation Early Dawn to help alleviate pressure on prisons in regions such as North East and Yorkshire, Manchester, [...]

The Telegraph newspaper reported Saturday that UK courts will operate for 24 hours to expedite prosecutions of those involved in a number of riots that have ravaged several UK cities. This measure follows urgent meetings between senior ministers and judiciary members aimed at promptly addressing the violence through severe legal ramifications. In a statement on [...]

What does the new Labour Government have in store for the UK, and what policy changes can we expect will have the most meaningful impact? As was recently argued in an Chatham House publication, the newly formed UK government led by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer brings together a team of legal experts well-versed in [...]

New UK Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said in a speech on Friday that the fresh Labour government will temporarily release prisoners and place them under community supervision to combat overcrowding in the nation’s prisons. The government will reduce the proportion of certain custodial sentences to be served within prison walls by 10 per cent. There will [...]

As of June 21, 2024, the prison population in England and Wales had almost reached its limit, standing at 87,395, according to figures released by the Ministry of Justice. This is stark in itself, but the size of the crisis is exacerbated further when pitted against a “usable operational capacity” of 88,778. This leaves less [...]

Scotland MSPs voted in favor of releasing many prisoners early to address overcrowding in Scottish jails, in a meeting of the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday. Approximately 550 prisoners are currently eligible for early release, according to the Scottish Parliament. This will only apply to those serving sentences under four years and not to prisoners convicted [...]

Kosovo’s parliament approved on Thursday a deal to lease 300 jail cells to Denmark as aid to the Scandinavian country’s overcrowded prisons problem. Signed in 2021, the deal only became a treaty in April 2024. It excludes Danish nationals and mentally-ill convicts and allows only foreigners convicted in Denmark to be sent to Kosovo. The [...]

The UK Parliament’s Justice and Home Affairs Committee published an inquiry Thursday that suggested alternative methods must be put in place to reduce reoffending and the strain on Probation Service in England and Wales. As prisons are currently at 99 percent capacity, the report examined how an increased focus on community orders could be effective [...]