Another 1,100 Inmates to Be Released Early Amid Prison Overcrowding

Some 1,100 more prisoners are going to be released early on Tuesday, as part of the government’s plan to ease overcrowding in prisons in England and Wales. In July, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced plans to temporarily cut the minimum time convicts must serve behind bars from 50 percent to 40 percent, with the government authorising the release of its first batch of 1,700 inmates in September. The decision was made after the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said that overcrowding has pushed jails to the “point of collapse.” Prison populations hit a record high of 88,521 on Sept. 6, days ahead of the first wave of releases. The latest prison figures put the population at 87,028....