Criminals Reoffending After Being Released Early, Inspector Finds

Criminals being released early in a bid to cut prison overcrowding are frequently recalled to jail after reoffending, according to a report by the prison’s inspectorate. The early release scheme—known as End of Custody Supervised Licence (ECSL)—was brought in by the Conservative administration last year in a bid to ease prison overcrowding. More than 10,000 prisoners were released in England and Wales up to 70 days early between October 2023 and June this year under the emergency plan, according to Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures published last month. The scheme has changed several times, with prisoners initially eligible to be freed 18 days before their conditional release date before this was increased to 35 days in March this year, and then to 70 days in May....