Around 650 prisoners are being released on Tuesday morning in the latest wave of the Government's early release scheme, with inmates seen walking free from HMP Wandsworth in south London.
One former inmate was seen grinning as he carried three bags out of the Victorian-era prison, the same facility where Russell Brand is believed to be held after being sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for rape and sexual assault on Monday.
Who Is Being Released
The prisoners being freed are serving sentences of more than 882 days (about two years and five months) and fewer than 1,163 days (roughly three years and two months). Over the next year, some 5,000 prisoners will be released across several phases.
The Government initially planned to release 6,000 inmates from prisons across the UK, but this was scaled back to exempt rapists and the most serious child sex offenders from the scheme. Ministers are now releasing groups of offenders on increasingly longer sentences as the scheme continues.
Scheme Aimed at Overcrowding
The scheme was launched to combat prison overcrowding and free up space in jails. It means criminals serving fixed-term sentences will serve a third of their time behind bars before being released, rather than half.
Last month, inmates were seen celebrating their freedom as they walked out of prisons across the country. Concerns were raised after one serial offender released from HMP Wandsworth allegedly carried out a string of thefts almost immediately after walking free.
Political Reaction
On Tuesday, Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin was seen outside the prison as former inmates walked free. The MP for Runcorn & Helsby told Jeremy Kyle on his breakfast show: "The people being released today will have received - some of them three years custodial sentence."
"Believe me, you can have committed some very, very nasty crimes, and yes, nasty crimes against women, to have received a three year sentence."
The prison population of England and Wales was 86,982 on Monday, according to Ministry of Justice (MoJ) data, up from 86,883 last week.
