Prisoners ask for end to recalls as UK releases more inmates
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Prisoners began leaving UK jails on Tuesday as part of a government plan to ease overcrowding, with around 5,000 scheduled for release over the next year.
The second phase of the scheme followed an earlier release of 700 individuals. Outside HMP Durham, one released inmate called on the Prime Minister to “scrap the recalls,” explaining he needed to travel to Bristol immediately to avoid re-imprisonment.
Several prisoners described conditions inside HMP Durham as crowded and difficult, with one man noting poor food and drug use. The government reduced the total number of planned releases from 6,000 to 5,000 after deciding to exclude rapists and serious sex offenders from the program. This early release scheme supplements a previous program from the former Conservative government, which freed 13,325 prisoners in England and Wales between October 2023 and September 2024.
As of Monday, the prison population in England and Wales reached 87,499, a 2% increase from June 29.
