Around 1,700 UK prisoners to be freed early amid reoffending warnings

LONDON - Thousands of prisoners are set to be released in the UK early on Tuesday after the prisons watchdog warned it is "inevitable" some will reoffend, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

Around 1,700 prisoners in England and Wales are expected to be let go on Tuesday before their sentences are served in a bid to cut overcrowding, in addition to the around 1,000 prisoners normally freed each week.

Downing Street said the policy had to be brought in to avoid "unchecked criminality" where the police and courts are unable to lock anyone up because there were no places available.

The prisons watchdog said that the government "had no choice but to do something" about overcrowding because "the bath was in danger of overflowing, and they either had to turn the taps off or they had to let some water out."

Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor said: "It's inevitable that some of these prisoners will get recalled to custody and it's inevitable that some of them will go out homeless.

"If people are coming out, they're not properly prepared, and they're homeless, then what we'll see is the danger that they'll commit more offences, or that they breach their bail conditions, in which case they'll end up back inside again."

Taylor's comments came as his annual report was released, which said the number of prisoners is projected to grow by about 27,000 by 2028, meaning it is unlikely to be possible to build enough new accommodation.

The report also detailed the "desperate" crisis in violence and drug use behind bars, as well as the lack of available rehabilitation that would keep people from reoffending.

Charities said the early release scheme will only "buy a little time" and would not provide a lasting solution in the face of "brutalising conditions."

Andrea Coomber KC, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform (HLPR), said prisons and probation needed to be completely reset after she described the "woeful education and training" for inmates and "squalor, self-harm, drugs, violence and unmet mental health needs, all in the midst of severe overcrowding."

Meanwhile, the Prison Reform Trust (PRT) said prisoners are being "warehoused" and need to be spending time in education, training and work rather than "sharing an overcrowded cell for 23 hours a day."

Pia Sinha, chief executive of the charity, said: "We cannot continue to warehouse people in these conditions and expect that things will be better when they’re released."

On Monday it was revealed that some victims have been left unaware of the early release of the person responsible for committing a crime against them.

Victims' Commissioner Baroness Newlove branded this "regrettable" and said she had called for assurances this would not happen.

She said the early releases are "distressing for many victims who rightfully expect offenders will serve the sentence handed down by the court."

The UK government has said the early release scheme will not apply to those convicted of sex offences, terrorism, domestic abuse or some violent offences.

Last month it emerged rioters were among those who could end up spending less time behind bars as the government confirmed those involved in recent unrest would not be excluded from the early release plans. - BERNAMA