Eight Men Rearrested in Greater Manchester Days After Early Release
Greater Manchester Police have arrested eight of the roughly 50 local prisoners freed on 1 October under the early release scheme — five for breaching orders, including a domestic abuse prevention order, and others on suspicion of robbery, drug offences and domestic violence. About 700 were released nationally, with 2,500 more due by the end of the year; prisons are running at 98.2% capacity.
The Ministry of Justice is unapologetic: “We inherited a prison system on the brink of collapse. If we had failed to act, the police would have been forced to halt arrests.” The police are less sanguine. In north-west London, Det Ch Supt Luke Williams wrote to local politicians about a prolific offender freed from Wandsworth who was caught on CCTV shoplifting the day after release and was jailed again within a week; the case took 27 officer hours. The pressures, he wrote, are being “transferred on to policing with no recognition”. Under the first phase, offenders serving up to 19 months become eligible after a third of their sentence.