Another 650 criminals will leave prisons across England and Wales today in the second tranche of Labour's early release scheme.
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criminals → leave → scheme
The group will include prisoners serving up to two and a half years for a variety of crimes, including violent offences and domestic abuse.
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group → include → offences
Under the controversial plan to ease prison overcrowding, they will leave prison after serving just one-third of their sentence behind bars, rather than half.
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they → ease → bars
The scheme launched at the beginning of this month with the release of 700 prisoners, all of whom were serving terms of less than 19 months.
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all → launch → months
Those serving even longer sentences will become eligible as the scheme is extended each month, with the tenth and final expansion in early June applying to those handed sentences of 12 years or more.
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expansion → serve → years
It is expected to free up to 50,000 prisoners a year.
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It → expect → prisoners
But unlike Labour's previous early release scheme, which has let out more than 70,000 offenders so far, the MoJ will not publish figures on how many actually walk free under the new programme, officials have confirmed.
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officials → let → programme
Instead, the number of criminals benefitting from significant reductions to their sentences will be rolled into an existing set of statistics and cannot be separately identified.
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number → benefit → statistics
There were scenes of celebration outside HMP Leeds on the first day of Labour's new early release scheme on October 1
It will leave the public and MPs in the dark about the full scale of Prime Minister Andy Burnham's soft justice bonanza.
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It → be → bonanza
Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy said: 'This looks like a cover-up by Labour to hide the true scale of their latest disastrous early release scheme.
'They must come clean and explain why they refuse to publish this data.
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they → say → data
'Thousands of dangerous criminals are being freed from prison early by Labour, with some immediately beginning crime sprees and others even going on to kill.
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others → free → sprees
Only the Conservatives have a fully costed plan to build 50,000 more prison places, ending early release for good and ensuring we can put violent and serious repeat offenders behind bars.'
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we → have → bars
About 700 criminals were let loose from jails across England and Wales on October 1, the first day of the scheme, with those serving up to 19 months' imprisonment becoming eligible.
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those → let → imprisonment
There are no overall figures on how many released prisoners have gone on to commit new crimes so far.
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prisoners → be → crimes
However, one senior Metropolitan Police officer last week warned that an offender freed under the new scheme had committed a series of new crimes with 'astonishing' speed after his release.
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offender → warn → release
Prolific offender Michael Bogle, 38, admitted 11 shoplifting offences and was re-jailed.
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Bogle → admit → offences
The registered sex offender had previously been photographed walking out of HMP Wandsworth on the first day of the release scheme.
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offender → register → scheme
Asked if he had a message for Mr Burnham, he said: 'Keep the early release going.
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release → ask → Burnham
Meanwhile, Greater Manchester Police said eight men had been arrested within days of being released early for offences including robbery, domestic violence and drugs.
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men → say → robbery
The Conservatives have repeatedly warned the PM's programme poses an 'acute threat' to public safety.
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programme → warn → safety
Prisoners previously due to serve 40 or 50 per cent of the sentences handed down by the courts are now being freed after serving just 33 per cent.
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Prisoners → serve → cent
As the scheme is rolled out in the coming months, criminals convicted of certain violent or sexual offences who were previously eligible for release after serving two-thirds of their sentence will instead be let out at the halfway stage.
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who → roll → stage
It is a mammoth expansion of Labour's previous early release scheme, launched in September 2024 to create space in the overcrowded prison estate.
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It → launch → estate
On the new scheme's first day, a succession of criminals thanked the PM for letting them out.
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succession → thank → them
Outside HMP Brixton in south London, serial thief David Elliott announced he planned to immediately reoffend.
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he → announce → London
Prolific offender Michael Bogle, 38, was freed from HMP Wandsworth on the first day of the programme, and committed fresh crimes with 'astonishing' speed, police said
'I've got 360 convictions and an addiction to stealing,' he said.
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he → free → stealing
'I'm gonna go stealing again. Whatever I get, whatever I get.'
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I → go → whatever
One prisoner leaving HMP Durham said: 'Justice system, what justice system?
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prisoner → leave → system
Another, walking out of HMP Cardiff, was asked if he had a message for the PM and replied: 'Thank you very much and don't get me back here again, bro.'
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has announced plans to build 50,000 new jail places if her party wins the next General Election, increasing the size of the prison estate by more than 50 per cent.
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party → walk → cent
MoJ documents showed Labour's scheme will be a 'new permanent approach' and that, after the first day of releases in each group, the early releases will 'continue on a business-as-usual basis'.
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releases → show → basis
It added: 'For context, approximately 4,500 offenders are released from custody in a typical month.'
The majority of those criminals will benefit from the new early release terms, brought into law by the Sentencing Act earlier this year.
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majority → add → Act
The Government has refused to disclose how many prisoners are projected to be let out early in total.
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prisoners → refuse → total
However, Labour's first attempt at an early release scheme was leading to between 3,000 and 4,000 early releases every month.
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attempt → lead → releases
The new programme is wider in scope, with some serious violent offenders becoming eligible for the first time.
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offenders → become → time
It is likely to see about 50,000 offenders a year freed early, once excluded groups are taken into account.
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groups → see → account
Life-sentenced prisoners, such as murderers, and those serving extended sentences are ineligible.
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prisoners → sentence → sentences
Other categories of violent and sexual criminals are also excluded after public outcry led to a series of U-turns by Mr Burnham over the summer.
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outcry → exclude → summer
An MoJ spokesman said: 'We inherited a prison system on the brink of collapse.
'
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We → say → collapse
If we had failed to act the police would have been forced to halt arrests, putting communities at untold risk.
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police → fail → risk
Our changes are part of a long-term overhaul of sentencing, ending the crisis in our prisons and keeping dangerous offenders behind bars.
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changes → end → bars
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
