Britain's New Left government released the first of thousands of prisoners early on Tuesday morning, who say they have been persuaded to vote Labour for life after their release.
More than 1,700 extra prisoners are being released from UK prisons today – significantly more than the usual daily release rate and almost double the number of people who would normally complete their sentences in a week. If the government's plans go ahead as advertised, the number of extra prisoners being released early onto the streets – despite having served less than half their court-ordered sentences – will rise to 5,000 in the coming weeks.
The new left-wing Workers' Party government has spent much of its first months in power making arrests, particularly over protests and riots against a child stabbing and mass immigration. The prison system is already in poor condition and is running out of space to accommodate new inmates. Justice Minister Shabana Mahmood said the mass releases show the government is “tackling the crisis head on” and are necessary to prevent “a complete collapse of the criminal justice system that would make people less safe.”
But legal experts have questioned the wisdom of the move. Speaking to the BBC on Tuesday morning, Martin Jones, chief inspector of probation, said it was “almost certain” that released offenders would return to prison “within days or weeks” because “they're going to cause problems in society.”
He added: “Around a third of people released from prison each year will be found to have committed a further offence within a year. And of course there is a small risk, and although rare, that some of those offences will be serious, that risk cannot be ruled out. “Meanwhile, Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor said it was “inevitable” that some of these ex-inmates would use their new-found freedom to commit further crimes. Reports Times.
Former government adviser Dominic Cummings has remarked wryly that with a growing number of convicted criminals on the streets, the only people likely to benefit are ex-special forces officers now working for private security companies.
The release of prisoners has particularly outraged their victims. When convicted abusers are released from prison, those who have been threatened by them are usually warned in advance so that they can mentally toughen up and take appropriate steps to protect themselves. This is managed through the Victim Liaison Unit, which has reportedly become completely overwhelmed in the past week.
As a result, many past victims have no warning as to whether their perpetrators would be released today. Guardian NotesHe said the system has been overwhelmed as the government has begun trying to reduce prison populations, leaving a “significant minority” who remain unreachable.
As for the prisoners themselves, some were persuaded to speak to British broadcasters upon their release this morning, with some media outlets reporting a “party-like atmosphere” outside the prison gates. Daily Mail state Two prisoners – one convicted of drug trafficking and the other serving a sentence for robbery with a deadly weapon – told the newspaper that the state's policy to reduce their sentences had made them decide to vote Labor in future.
By GB News reporter Charlie Peters I wrote down what I saw Outside Wandsworth Prison, “an ex-inmate walked up to the crowd waiting outside, recognised one of his former cellmates and lit a joint. [a marijuana cigarette, which is illegal in the United Kingdom] With him. The police are parked on the road and watching.”
