Blair: I regret early release of 25,000 prisoners

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U-turn: Last month Lord Falconer ruled out the early release of prisoners

Jail chiefs have urged that some criminals should be released a week early in a bid to end the £2,000-per-prisoner use of court and police cells

The Prime Minister repeatedly told MPs today that he regretted having to release thousands of criminals early to ease the prison overcrowding crisis.

But, at his penultimate Commons question time, he said the action was necessary to free up space.

More than 25,000 criminals will be handed a "get out of jail free" card in a desperate attempt to solve the overcrowding crisis.

Mr Blair stressed that he hoped it would be a "very temporary" measure before more prison places are built.

But Tory leader David Cameron accused him of an "abject failure to deliver" on law and order promises.

He said the Government's failure to act on warnings five years ago had led directly to the "scandal" of 25,000 prisoners being let out onto "our streets".

Sentences will be cut by 18 days for a quarter of all prisoners - even though most are already let out halfway through their terms.

The furore over the early release plans overshadowed Gordon Brown's first major speech on law and order.

The Prime Minister-elect told police chiefs he would fund 1,500 new prison places, with the first 500 ready by the start of next year.

The jail population stood at a record 81,016 yesterday - including 500 held in police and court cells at a cost of £1million a week.

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said the release plan, which was revealed in Daily Mail, was a "disgraceful and direct consequence of the Government's absolute failure to deal with the crisis in our prisons".

Jan Berry, of the Police Federation, warned that early releases were not "safe or viable" for the public.

She said: "The early release of prisoners gives cause for concern.

"The resilience of the service is already stretched to breaking point and while in the future it could be made possible to effectively monitor more offenders in the community, the structure and the resources are not in place to make this a safe or viable option at the present time."

Brian Caton, of the Prison Officers' Association, claimed the Government was giving prisoners a "get out of jail free" card.

"They are a quick fix with no long lasting benefits to the service or society," he said.

The plans, announced hurriedly to Parliament by Justice Secretary Lord Falconer, will apply to the vast bulk of criminals sentenced to fewer than four years.

They will be able to walk free 18 days before reaching their usual halfway release point.

Over the course of a year, 25,500 prisoners will be released early - a quarter of the 100,000 jailed in the same period.

Sex offenders, the most serious violent offenders and criminals with a history of breaching release conditions will not benefit.

But burglars, drug dealers, fraudsters and thugs convicted of affray or assault will all be let out early. Criminals jailed for a month will serve only seven days.

In the first few weeks of the policy, which comes into force on June 29, as many as 2,000 inmates will walk free.

The aim is to reduce the prison population by 1,200. But with more criminals currently being jailed than being released, the policy could remain in place indefinitely.

The Government hopes that the planned construction of thousands more cells will ease the overcrowding crisis next year. Some 9,500 prison places are scheduled to be built by 2012 at a cost to the taxpayer of almost £1billion.

Tories say former Army bases and ships should be used as a temporary measure instead of early releases. Mr Davis accused the Government of taking risks with public safety.

Norman Brennan, of the Victims of Crime Trust, said: "The type of offenders that the public need protection from are those already in prison, so why release them early from a prison term which is, in many cases only half of the sentence originally given?

"Was it not this government that once promised to be 'tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime'? Surely their failure to deliver on these promises has been one of the greatest deceptions of recent times."

Harry Fletcher, of the National Association of Probation Officers, said ministers had failed to heed warnings given in the late 1990s about overcrowding.

"They've had eight, nine years and really done nothing," he added.

Lord Falconer insisted guidance sent to jail governors would ensure prisoners freed early were still put on licence.

He confirmed that police and court cells would be needed to house convicted criminals but only "until the end of the year at the latest".

Tony Blair's official spokesman said that the overcrowding problems are in part due to the Government's success in tackling crime.

But he added: "There are pressures within the system and we have to recognise that."

The 90,000 prison places which are expected to be available by 2012 may not be enough to prevent another crisis.

Internal Government estimates predict a jail population of up to 95,630 by June of that year, based on current sentencing trends.

If judges and the courts take a harder line than at present, the number could rise to 102,280.

 

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