The British government will continue its program of early prison releases due to a shortage of prison space, it was announced by Prime Minister Andy Burnham in the 10th, APA reports.
According to him, exceptions will be made for individuals convicted of rape and serious crimes against children. Burnham blamed the Conservative Party, which held power from 2010 to 2024, for the current situation.
"The system has now reached its limits. There is a risk that new offenders will not be able to be jailed in a timely manner," he wrote.
Burnham stated that he "understands and shares the anger and anxiety" of victims of criminals who are released early, but he cannot cancel the program due to the risk of overburdening the prison system.
"Such an outcome would expose society to enormous risk. Police would be unable to make arrests. Courts would be unable to send new offenders to prison. Our justice system would be paralyzed," the prime minister stated.
He emphasized that authorities will introduce stricter monitoring measures for released prisoners. "Almost all released offenders will wear electronic bracelets," Burnham wrote. "Furthermore, new conditions [of release] will be imposed on offenders, including a ban on visiting certain areas, agreed upon with the victims. As part of these changes, probation officers will be empowered to prohibit offenders from driving and visiting pubs and social events."
The Prime Minister also promised to "solve the prison crisis once and for all." "I will not leave the same problem to my successors. We will implement the fastest prison building programme since Victorian times. It is expected that by 2031, 14,000 new prison places will be created," he noted.
Follow us on Telegram
t.me/apanewsaz
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on TikTok
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on X
