Starting September, thousands of prisoners are to be released early as part of United Kingdom's new Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Shabana Mahmood's comprehensive plan to prevent overcrowding at correctional facilities across the country.
The plan aims to temporarily reduce the proportion of certain custodial sentences served in prison from 50% to 40%. The initiative will not apply to violent offenders serving more than four years, sex offenders, individuals imprisoned for domestic abuse offenses, or those serving life sentences.
Mahmood previously expressed concerns about the potential consequences if prisons become too full. She explained that if this were to happen, courts would be forced to delay sending offenders to jail, and law enforcement would be unable to apprehend dangerous criminals thus leading to the "collapse" of the prison system.
