Sir Keir Starmer faces releasing dangerous lags as prisons overflow

Prison Population Crisis

Sir Keir Starmer may have to release scores of dangerous criminals if elected Prime Minister, as the next government must act quickly to prevent prisons from overflowing, according to a recent report.

Current Situation

The prison population has doubled in the past 30 years, with 87,000 individuals currently behind bars. Ministry of Justice data suggests this number could reach 99,300 by the end of the year, while only 4,400 new spaces are being created.

Potential Solutions

The report recommends letting out prisoners earlier and delaying the imprisonment of certain offenders. Sir Keir Starmer has expressed his intention to continue early releases, acknowledging the lack of immediate prison expansion options.

An early release scheme was introduced previously, allowing for the release of low-level offenders up to 70 days early, in addition to automatic release after serving 50% of a sentence. The report suggests reducing the threshold for automatic release to 40% and expanding the types of offenders eligible for release.

Other proposals include allowing low-risk criminals to serve sentences at home until space is available and potentially suspending sentences of up to three years, an increase from the current two-year limit.