Hundreds of criminals start leaving prison under new early release scheme

Kirsty Pellant, a victim of stalking and online identity fraud, said she had received assurances that her perpetrator would not be freed in the first wave of releases under the new early‑release scheme, though she was not told when that might occur. She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme she had received assurances helium would not be fto retired successful the archetypal question of releases but was not told erstwhile helium would be. Prisoners released early can be returned to custody immediately if they breach licence conditions, such as by committing another offence, contacting a victim or living at an address not approved by authorities. Charities have warned that domestic‑abuse survivors may remain exposed despite these safeguards. The Refuge warned, "We know that licence conditions are often breached by perpetrators", and cautioned that it was "deeply acrophobic that recently released perpetrators will be capable to proceed their run of abuse" without due enforcement. Farah Nazeer, head of enforcement at Women’s Aid, said the strategy could further erode "incredibly low" confidence in the criminal‑justice system, meaning "even greater numbers of women and children whitethorn be near without protection". The National Association of Probation Officers (Napo) argued that the Probation Service is "significantly under‑staffed". Napo’s national officer Ian Lawrence stated, "You cannot lick the prisons situation unless probation is afloat functioning and provides a existent alternate to custody." He added that he had heard government pledges to boost probation staff before, telling the BBC helium had "heard it each before". Government projections indicate the prison population will still rise to around 100,000 by the end of the decade despite early‑release measures. The government has pledged to invest £7bn in a prison‑building programme that will add 14,000 cells by 2031. Officials have also introduced exclusion zones, allowing the Probation Service to restrict offenders to a small geographic area after release, in an effort to limit contact with victims. Read the full story at BBC News →