Scottish Government Set to Release 550 Prisoners to Ease Overcrowding

The Scottish Government has announced an “emergency release” of 550 prisoners in an effort to ease chronic overcrowding. Justice Secretary Angela Constance said the releases would begin in four phases starting at the end of June. She said work was being carried out to ensure victims are notified before people convicted of crimes against them are freed. There were 8,313 people in Scotland’s jails on Wednesday, down only slightly from the 8,348 prisoners when Ms. Constance first mooted the idea of early release. The announcement comes only two weeks after the chief inspector of prisons, Charlie Taylor, said high-risk prisoners had been released from an English prison at short notice “to free up space.”...