Latest news with #earlyrelease
Times
2 days ago
- Times
Prisoners freed in error as jail ‘fails to calculate sentences'
Ten inmates at HMP Pentonville were mistakenly released early while 130 were illegally detained after their release date when staff 'failed to calculate sentences accurately', the prisons watchdog has found. The failures, which came after the government introduced emergency early release measures to ease the overcrowding crisis in jails, were revealed in one of the worst inspection reports in recent years by the prisons inspectorate, which has put the north London jail into special measures. Oversight of inmates who were supposed to be under constant supervision was 'shockingly poor', with one prison officer found asleep, two others reading books and another 'completely absent', according to the report by Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons. Taylor said that these 'unacceptable practices' in the care of prisoners requiring constant supervision were of particular concern because there had been three suicides at the jail this year. His report also cited 'frightening' conditions, such as cells being infected with cockroaches and mice. He served Pentonville with an urgent notification, which means that the Ministry of Justice must establish an action plan within 28 days to improve conditions. It is the tenth prison or young offender institution to be served an urgent notification since November 2022. The watchdog said that data from Pentonville showed 130 inmates — 20 per cent of those eligible for release — had been held illegally after their release date in the last six months. The backlog in sentencing calculations also meant ten prisoners were released early 'in error' between July 2024 and June 2025, Taylor's report said. The illegal detention of prisoners beyond their release date will make them eligible for compensation payments at taxpayers' expense, which could add up to millions of pounds. In a letter to Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary, the chief inspector also said that arrangements for the first night new prisoners spent at the north London jail and their induction were 'chaotic and even frightening'. Men were held in dirty cells that were missing bedding, furniture, telephones and pillows, the watchdog said, while the majority of prisoners were locked in their cells for more than 22 hours a day. The report also said that 60 per cent of prisoners were sharing cells designed for one person, many living areas were dirty and there was a widespread infestation of mice and cockroaches. Taylor said: 'Pentonville is an overcrowded, inner-city, Victorian prison with a record of poor performance over many years. Too many of its staff have become disillusioned about the possibility of improvement or their capacity to affect change. Yet many of its shocking failures are firmly within the control of leaders. • Drones 'could soon be used to fly prisoners out of jail' 'The governor will need significant support and investment from HM Prison and Probation Service to strengthen his senior leadership team, re-focus on the basics, and put in place effective oversight and assurance systems to turn this failing prison around.' A survey of prisoners revealed that 44 per cent told inspectors that they felt unsafe at the time of inspection, which the watchdog said was the highest figure recorded during his tenure as chief inspector. Pentonville is the tenth prison to be issued with an urgent notification since November 2022, following Exeter, Cookham Wood Young Offender Institution, Bristol, Woodhill, Bedford, Wandsworth, Rochester, Manchester and Winchester prisons. The emergency measure was introduced in 2017 as a way to raise immediate concerns after an inspection, which requires a response and action plan by the justice secretary within 28 days. Elsewhere, the inspector's report found that when releases were planned, 23 per cent of those prisoners were homeless on the day they were released, and very few had employment on release. Reacting to the urgent notification, Pia Sinha, chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, said: 'Prisoners illegally held after they should have been released, or others released early in error, further undermine effective sentence planning and erode public confidence. 'This urgent notification must be a rallying cry for immediate action — fix the failing infrastructure, improve staff training, and treat prisoners with dignity.' Andrew Neilson, director of campaigns at the Howard League for Penal Reform, said that the findings of the inspection were 'outrageous' and represent a 'new low' for an overcrowded public service on the brink of collapse. He added: 'While the government inherited a dire state of affairs in prisons, it has had more than a year to bring about change. As report cards go, such a dire account of dysfunction in Pentonville instils little confidence that ministers have a grip of the situation.'
Al Arabiya
3 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Italy may release up 10,000 people from prison to curb overcrowding
Italy may release up to around 10,000 people from prison, or about 15 percent of the total population of inmates, to ease overcrowding, the Justice Ministry has announced. Some 10,105 prisoners are 'potentially eligible' for alternative measures to prison, such as house arrest or probation, the ministry said in a statement late on Tuesday. The option would apply to people whose convictions are final and no longer subject to appeal, less than 2 years of sentences left to serve, and no serious disciplinary offences in the past 12 months. People serving time for serious crimes such as terrorism, organized crime, rape, migrant trafficking and kidnapping would be excluded, the ministry added. According to the World Prison Brief database, Italy has one of Europe's worst prison overcrowding records, with an occupancy level of around 122 percent. Any level above 100 percent indicates that prisons are occupied above their maximum capacity. Only Cyprus, France and Turkey have higher scores in Europe, according to the database. The plight of prisoners has attracted attention in Italy following a rise in suicides and complaints about soaring summer temperatures in detention facilities that are not air- conditioned. However, the early release of prisoners is a politically sensitive move, and the Justice Ministry indicated that it would not happen overnight. It said it had set up a taskforce to liaise with prisons and parole judges to facilitate decisions on individual cases, which will meet weekly and report on its work by September.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Portland Public Schools to release 3 hours early Monday due to high heat
PORTLAND, Ore. () — Portland Public Schools announced they will be releasing all students three hours early on Monday, June 9, due to high heat. 'Check on friends, family' in record-heat spells With temperatures once again expected to hit above 90 degrees on Monday, PPS officials said in a that 'the sustained high temperatures and limited overnight cooling present significant health and safety concerns, especially in our schools without air conditioning.' The early release times are listed below: Elementary schools – 11:30 a.m. K-8 schools – 12:30 p.m. Middle schools – 1 p.m. High schools – 12:30 p.m. 'This decision prioritizes the wellbeing of students and staff, ensuring that everyone can return home safely before the hottest part of the day,' PPS officials said. After-school activities sponsored by the district will also be canceled, including childcare services. Athletic programs will follow and make decisions about practices and activities. Students will be served meals before being dismissed from schools, officials said. PPS has about their heat safety response. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Guardian
03-06-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
How to make early prison release work
Sir Mark Rowley is completely justified in his fears for public safety (UK's most senior police officer criticises early prison release scheme, 28 May). We confuse the lines between punishment, prison sentencing, deterrence and the desire to prevent reoffending. We can readily identify those who are less likely to reoffend – those who are over 25 and no longer testosterone-fuelled, those who do not have a drug habit, have a home and family to go to, and a means of earning an income. We know, too, that if prison works as a deterrence, its greatest impact is in the first few days of being there. Thereafter, life becomes institutionalised. Releasing those from prison who qualify as above, and allowing them to satisfy their sentences with meaningful community employment, may not be the fairest way of reducing the number of people currently in prison, but it is likely to be the safest and most effective way forward for the convicted individual, the taxpayer and society as a LeslauHenley on Thames, Oxfordshire Police chiefs complain that violent criminals released early will affect public safety. This is misleading. First, only 5.7% of crimes lead to an arrest, and some are acquitted. It follows that at any time, the great majority of perpetrators of violent crime are on the streets. Early releases will make a relatively small difference. Second, a violent criminal will currently be released after half their sentence. Say they are 30 years old. This gives them decades to commit further crimes. Adding one or two years to this will not have much impact on total crime. Third, some of those released early will be convicted of a further crime sooner and return to prison for longer, reducing the impact of early release. A complex issue is being highly oversimplified by the police WestLondon As you rightly point out in your editorial (The Guardian view on sentencing reform: a landmark chance for change, 25 May): 'The review rightly says that relationships between probation staff and offenders should get priority.' What is not mentioned are the enormous cost savings in moving from prison to community service sentences (estimated to be as much 40 times less). These huge cost savings would pay for all the additional probation staff, as well for much improved training and professionalisation for supervisors, upon which the long-term success of this scheme crucially HartCommunity service supervisor, East Northamptonshire, 1977-80 Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Telegraph
31-05-2025
- General
- Telegraph
The Government's ill-judged prisoner-release scheme puts the public at risk
SIR – I, along with the majority of my countrymen, am appalled by the Government's decision to release certain prisoners early (' Met chief: Starmer's early release scheme will lead to more crime ', report, May 28). This is to compensate for the shortage of prison spaces, as our population grows ever larger, in part due to poorly controlled immigration. First, the punishment meted out by the courts should match the gravity of the crime. Stricter sentencing would surely act as a deterrent to help reduce criminality, whereas the present system allows certain sentences to be commuted or for the prisoner to be granted parole. This in itself creates too much recidivism, and it is now to be exacerbated by the early release of offenders, many of whom are likely to reoffend. This is not the decision of a sensible government that is weighing up all the facts with balanced judgment. Secondly, we should consider our already overworked police officers, many of whom do a fantastic job and lack the high regard they deserve, particularly given the much wider range of policing responsibilities they are now expected to undertake compared to 20 years ago. Policing the streets is of paramount importance, especially in inner-city areas, where regard for the law is often lax. Presumably the Government will now expect the police to monitor those on early release. What has happened to our once highly regarded system of justice and policing? It appears to be yet another casualty of this ludicrous Labour Government. Tony Millard Redhill, Surrey SIR – Week after week, our local magistrates' court deals with an endless list of people who have been caught driving drunk or high on drugs. At present, they are fined and disqualified from driving for a period. Isn't it time that our society made people wholly responsible for their actions, by imposing a lifetime driving ban on them if caught? It may make them think twice before getting behind the wheel when they are drunk or stoned, and consider the devastating impact that such selfish behaviour could have on others. It would also save the magistrates from having to deal with repeat offenders. The roads are dangerous enough without people who view driving as a right, rather than as a privilege with enormous responsibilities. Andy Breare Plymouth, Devon
