The government's early release scheme has been an unmitigated disaster. With a little common sense, something resembling it might actually have worked. Britain's prisons are bursting at the seams, but the answer to overcrowding isn't to release dangerous criminals back onto our streets and hope they behave themselves.
Prioritise non-violent offenders and deport foreign criminals
A radical thought – why not prioritise releasing carefully-assessed, non-violent offenders, instead? Or reconsider whether people convicted of minor offences involving social media posts really need to occupy precious prison cells?
According to Ministry of Justice figures, 10,134 foreign nationals were held in prisons across England and Wales as of June 2026. That's approximately one in eight prisoners. Thousands of prison places are occupied by people who aren't British citizens. Where foreign criminals are eligible for deportation, everything legally possible should be done to send them home.
Albanian nationals are among the largest foreign prisoner groups, and Britain already has arrangements with Albania to facilitate returns, so what's stopping us from accelerating the process?
Explore temporary facilities like Nightingale hospitals
When Covid struck, Britain demonstrated that it could mobilise resources and create temporary medical facilities remarkably quickly. Why couldn't we explore something similar for prisons? Secure, temporary facilities specifically designed for lower-risk, non-violent offenders would need proper staffing, security and safeguards, but it's worth exploring rather than continually releasing prisoners early.
The consequences of getting this wrong can be devastating. Take Robert Sabat, a violent offender who murdered Dickiesha Nurse, 42, after being released under Labour's early release scheme. Reports described how he repeatedly stabbed her in the face before begging police to return him to prison.
Deterrence and a justice system that distinguishes risk
There's also the question of deterrence. What message are we sending when offenders believe they might serve less than half their sentence behind bars? Prison and punishment must mean something, and protecting innocent people must always come before making the prison population statistics look more manageable.
The solution isn't overly complicated. Keep dangerous criminals locked up. Stop imprisoning low-risk offenders for short periods. Deport foreign criminals wherever legally possible. Build more capacity and invest in rehabilitation that genuinely reduces reoffending.
We need a justice system that distinguishes between someone who poses a genuine danger and someone who can be punished effectively without imprisonment.
