A man freed from prison under Andy Burnham's early prisoner release scheme has said he will start stealing again. The ex-con was one of 700 criminals who walked free from jail on Thursday (October 1) as the Government grapples with a prison overcrowding crisis.
Public 'will pay the price'
Conservative Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy said the public would "pay the price" for a policy he described as an "insult to victims". He shared TV footage of the man outside HMP Brixton in south London where the former prisoner was asked what he would do next. The man answered: "I don't know. I'm going to go stealing again.
"I'm going stealing so I can go back in because they haven't helped me this time."
Prisoners thank Burnham
Other prisoners thanked the Prime Minister as they celebrated being released early from jail. One prisoner said to the press as he left HMP Durham in north east England: "Justice system, what justice system? Thank you Andy Burnham."
Men were also seen celebrating as they left prisons in Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds, London and Salford.
Former inmate David Elliott told the Daily Express outside HMP Brixton that "wrong 'uns" were being released. He showed reporters a raft of papers detailing the conditions of his release. He said if people saw the extent of his licence papers, they would think he was a murderer, telling the PM: "Stop sending people to prison in the first place. People don’t need to go. Help them before they get there."
Sentencing Act 2026
The inmates are among thousands that the Government insists it has been forced to let out to free up space in overcrowded jails and to stop the justice system from collapsing. Former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and previous Tory administrations have presided over similar plans.
Nearly 5,000 prisoners are set to be freed in stages over the next year as the Sentencing Act 2026 comes into force. Ministers intervened to exclude rapists and the most serious child sex offenders from early release following criticism of the policy over the summer. The rules will also not apply to those guilty of manslaughter, such as the killers of Pc Andrew Harper, who died in the line of duty in 2019.
Charity Victim Support launched a national helpline for those concerned about prisoners being released early. Justice Secretary Alex Norris said: "We understand the anxiety victims face ahead of offenders’ release dates, but the greatest danger to victims would be prisons running out of cells for dangerous criminals, which was the crisis this Government inherited."
"Our plan will make sure this never happens again by building 14,000 prison places while subjecting offenders to the toughest-ever controls, leaving them nowhere to hide and under no doubt that we are watching them."
