Early prison releases raise warnings over housing and probation capacity

Hundreds of prisoners in England and Wales are due to be released early as the government attempts to ease overcrowding, but probation officers have warned that some may be sent directly to the streets. About 2,000 prisoners, including domestic abusers and violent offenders, are expected to be released over the next month. A further 3,000 are due to leave prison in stages over the following year.

The initial total was reduced from 6,000 after intervention by Prime Minister Andy Burnham. A probation source told the Guardian that hostel accommodation for former offenders was already full in some towns and cities. Prisoners are supposed to receive suitable housing before release because homelessness is associated with higher reoffending, according to Enver Solomon, chief executive of the social justice charity Nacro.

The probation officers’ union Napo has raised the shortage of accommodation with prison managers. Its national chair, Ben Cockburn, said the Probation Service faced staff shortages, excessive workloads and problems with electronic monitoring. The Ministry of Justice is introducing a presumption that released offenders will be tagged, but watchdogs reported this week that some people waited up to five months for tags.

Only 55% of GPS and radio-frequency tags were fitted on time, the report said. The expanded scheme follows the 2026 Sentencing Act, which allows the release point for certain fixed-term prisoners to be reduced from 40% of a sentence to one-third. Several hundred people are expected to leave on 1 October, with further releases from 13 October.

Prisoners convicted of child-grooming offences, indecent assault or manslaughter are excluded. The Ministry of Justice says the policy is necessary because prisons are close to collapse. It says it is building 14,000 prison places and investing £700m in probation and community services, while working with councils and charities to reduce homelessness among prison leavers.