Prison sentences for low level crime unlikely

Prison sentences for low level crime unlikely

To tackle the chronic shortage of prison places, the new Labour government has announced that some offenders in England & Wales will be released from prison after they have completed 40% of their sentences. Currently prisoners serving standard sentences with a fixed end date are released after serving 50%.

This change in policy will not include serious criminals such as sex offenders, rapists and terrorists. Instead, shoplifters and those convicted of low level drug offences are among those likely to be released sooner. It is likely to amount to a number in the low thousands leaving prison early in the coming months.

It is a short-term fix that will free up cells quickly. It is necessary because there simply aren’t enough resources to cope with the rising number of people being given custodial sentences.

Currently prisons in England & Wales are running at over 98% capacity. There have been numerous warnings, including from the Prisons’ Governors' Association, that the prison estate is “just days away” from reaching full capacity. On 5 July official figures showed the prison population was 87,453 out of a total capacity of 88,864 - meaning there were just 1,411 spaces left.