‘This is a mess!’ Eamonn Holmes blasts Labour for allowing early release for prisoners – ‘Things will never be the same’
Eamonn Holmes has blasted Labour’s prison release scheme as a “mess” with thousands of criminals set to be freed today.
More than 1,200 prisoners jailed for over five years are due to be released early from prisons across England and Wales.
This marks the second wave of early releases aimed at alleviating the overcrowding crisis.
Speaking to Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade Kevin Hollrake on GB News, Eamonn said: “It s hard to think of a polite way to put this. It’s a mess.
“What you’re replacing and what you’re introducing, it’s not making up the difference. That’s the thing, Kevin.
“We’re in a very bad situation. What’s the long term answer? I mean, you’re hardly likely to double or treble the places available, are you?”
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Hollrake responded: “You’re right about that. And it was a mess last time when Labour released prisoners, including 37 prisoners who weren’t supposed to be released.
“They’ve got to be able to do their job more competently. And we did see some flaws last time.”
Eamon later said: “Things will not be the same after this and people will be able to commit crime knowing they’re not going to be put behind bars.”
The scheme, which allows eligible inmates to serve 40 per cent rather than 50 per cent of their sentences, has faced criticism for potentially undermining efforts to reduce reoffending and maintain public safety.
The early release scheme, known as SDS40, was expanded to include prisoners serving sentences of five years or more.
Justice Minister Lord Timpson stated that authorities are “as ready as we can be” for today’s releases. The scheme aims to create up to 5,500 extra prison places.
Eligible prisoners have been steadily leaving jails since the changes were implemented.
Those released will be subject to strict licence conditions.
However, Martin Jones, chief inspector of probation, warned that the scheme’s effectiveness could be undermined by high recall rates.
He noted that for every 100 prisoners released in the first quarter of this year, 56 were recalled to jail for reoffending or breaching licence conditions.
The Ministry of Justice has acknowledged that overcrowding had pushed jails to the “point of collapse”.