LAGS TO GO FREE
Sir Keir Starmer faces releasing scores of dangerous lags as one of his first acts if he wins General Election
The prison population has doubled in the past 30 years
SIR Keir Starmer faces releasing scores of dangerous lags as one of his first acts if he is elected Prime Minister.
The next government will have just days to stop the country’s prisons from overflowing, a report has warned.
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It says the next leader must let out prisoners earlier and delay locking up the guilty.
The prison population has doubled in the past 30 years with 87,000 people behind bars.
It could hit 99,300 by the end of the year — Ministry of Justice data shows — but only 4,400 new spaces are being made available.
Last night Sir Keir said he would continue letting prisoners out early as he could not “magic up a new prison on Friday”.
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He added: “I have to say it is shocking to have to inherit this.”
The Government brought in an early release scheme to tackle overcrowding by letting lags out up to 70 days early — on top of the automatic release after 50 per cent of the way through a term.
Burglars, shoplifters, and other low-level offenders were included.
The Institute for Government report says automatic release should be available as little as 40 per cent of the way through a sentence.
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Domestic abusers, burglars and low-level thugs could be included — but not those guilty of serious, violent or sexual crimes.
Low-risk criminals may also start prison terms in their homes before a space becomes available.
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And sentences of up to three years could be suspended, up from the current two years.
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