Comments

View Image

Hundreds more prisoners will be released early as Scotland's overcrowded jails have reached crisis point again. ‌

Angela Constance, the SNP Justice Secretary, was forced to admit to MSPs today that a previous scheme - which saw the early release of 390 prisoners in February and March - had failed to ease persistent overcrowding issues. ‌

Emergency legislation was passed last year which allowed for eligible inmates sentenced to less than four years to be freed after just 40 per cent of their term. ‌

It eventually led to 390 inmates being allowed to walk free earlier than planned.

But Constance has now revealed the early release scheme was still not enough to ease the intense pressure on the prison estate. READ MORE: Michelle Mone demands Keir Starmer ends

See Full Page