The government’s decision to extend an emergency early-release scheme in prisons to alleviate overcrowding has been described as a “national scandal”.
Until just a couple of months ago, prisoners could be released up to 18 days before their release date under the end-of-custody supervised licence (ECSL) scheme. It has since been increased to try to ease the pressure on prisons, and that will now be extended to 70 days to “create more space”, said The Times.
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