British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s new government is set to expand the early release of prisoners to address an overcrowding crisis in jails, which are nearing capacity, according to prison governors on Thursday.
The Prison Governors’ Association announced that starting Friday, most inmates would serve only 40% of their sentences behind bars, a reduction from the current 50%.
Prisoners released early will still be supervised by probation officers and can be returned to jail if they reoffend or violate release conditions.
The Prison Governors’ Association stated, “The changes to release dates will create essential space across the prison system.”
The Ministry of Justice, which oversees prisons, did not immediately comment on the changes.
Starmer, speaking in Washington on Wednesday, indicated that the government would soon address prison overcrowding and criticized former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s administration for its handling of the issue.
The UK has the highest incarceration rate in western Europe, more than twice that of Germany or the Netherlands, though it is only a quarter of the US rate.
Starmer’s Labour party recently won a landslide victory, returning to power for the first time since 2010.
In a notable move, Starmer appointed businessman James Timpson as prisons minister.
Timpson’s company employs ex-offenders, and he is a strong advocate for rehabilitation.
The prison governors noted that overcrowding worsened under the previous Conservative government, which lengthened some jail terms and increased the proportion of sentences for serious offenders served behind bars.
Construction delays and inadequate maintenance prevented prison capacity from keeping pace with demand, leading to the unplanned early release of inmates nearing the end of their sentences, which can increase the risk of reoffending or homelessness.
The Prison Governors’ Association expressed hope that the new government would move away from penal populism and invest in the prison service, stating, “We are hopeful that the penal populism agenda will become a thing of the past and that this new government will be willing to invest in our service.”
However, existing plans suggest that prison budgets may be reduced in the coming years.