UK Government Pushes Early Parole for Criminals "Prison System on the Brink of Collapse"

Parole Eligibility Reduced from 50% to 40% of Sentence
Excluding Violent and Sexual Offenders Sentenced Over 4 Years
Estimated 5,500 Early Releases Due to This Measure

The UK government is pushing for early parole for inmates, excluding serious offenders, as prison overcrowding becomes a serious issue.

UK Prison (Photo by Yonhap News)

According to British media on the 13th (local time), Shabana Mahmood, the Secretary of State for Justice, said in a speech at Five Wells Prison in Northamptonshire, England, the day before, "Prisons are on the verge of collapse, and if immediate measures are not taken, we will face the collapse of the criminal justice system and a complete breakdown of law and order."

In England and Wales, parole is allowed if an inmate has served at least 50% of their sentence for crimes other than serious offenses. Starting this September, that threshold will be lowered to 40%. Violent offenders, sex offenders, and domestic violence offenders sentenced to four years or more are excluded.

According to the UK Prison Governors' Association, about 5,500 people are expected to be released early under this government measure.

Mahmood emphasized that those granted parole will be strictly managed under probation, including electronic tagging and setting curfew hours. She also plans to increase the recruitment of new probation officers by more than 1,000.

Prisons in England and Wales currently hold 87,505 inmates, approaching the maximum capacity of 88,956. For male inmates, the occupancy rate has consistently exceeded 99% since last year.

According to a recent report by the think tank 'Institute for Government,' crime rates have decreased over the past 30 years, but the number of prisoners has doubled. This is believed to reflect a trend of longer sentences due to increased public demand for a tough stance on crime.

The report estimates that the planned expansion will accommodate about 4,400 additional inmates, but the prison population is expected to increase by 12,000 by the end of next year.

There are also criticisms that early parole alone cannot fundamentally solve prison overcrowding without sufficient expansion plans.

Mahmood also stated that she will announce a 10-year prison capacity plan through the regular budget this fall.