Around 1700 British prisoners will be released on Tuesday due to lack of space in prisons in England and Wales, which last week recorded a record occupancy with 88.521 inmates.
The measure approved by PremierKeir Starmer, with a 40% reduction in time behind bars, affects minor offenses and prisoners sentenced to less than five years in prison (excluding domestic violence offenses).
The Labour Premier justified the measure citing the "critical situation" of the prisons, at maximum capacity, and blaming Conservative Government's Rishi Sunak for not addressing the situation in time.
The release of the first 1700 prisoners has divided experts, amid fears of a rise in crime across the country. The measure came into effect just a day after Starmer's announcement of a new crackdown on knife crimes, which have seen a worrying increase in the last decade in London and other parts of the country.
Conservative MP Mel Stride publicly accused Starmer's Government of "poorly managing the situation" and creating "a situation of great concern" among the British public.
Jonathan Reynolds, the Treasury's number two, justified the measure as "an emergency response to a broken system." According to Reynolds, "the free space in prisons is less than 1% and the Government has been forced to act."
The increase in crime, the judicial paralysis caused by Covid, and longer sentences are some of the reasons experts point to explain the explosive situation in British prisons.