Prisoners cheer as second phase of early release scheme begins

At HMP Durham, one man punched the air in celebration and shouted: “Yes cuzzie.”

AD: Capeesh Restaurant

Asked what he thought of the early release scheme, he replied: “F****** belta.”

When asked if he had a message for the Prime Minister, another inmate replied: “Scrap the recalls.”

AD: Oysterian Sea Food Restaurant And Bar

The released prisoner explained that although he was from Sunderland, he was being sent to Bristol – where he was arrested – and had to travel there immediately or risk being recalled to prison.

Another man, released with an electronic tag and a second device which monitors his alcohol consumption, said HMP Durham was a tough, Victorian jail, with poor food and some inmates using the drug Spice.

Some 5,000 prisoners are scheduled to be released in stages over the next year, down from 6,000, after ministers intervened to exempt rapists and the most serious child sex offenders.

Ministers say the expanded early release scheme is needed to prevent the justice system from collapsing, after a summer when the issue dominated news headlines.

Criminals will be excluded from the scheme if they have been jailed for a range of offences, including members of child grooming gangs convicted of indecent assault.

Prisoners guilty of manslaughter will also be excluded, meaning the killers of Pc Andrew Harper, who died in the line of duty in 2019, will not be eligible.