Hundreds of inmates in Scotland are being released early due to a new law reducing sentence times.
People serving under four years now get out sooner. They will be released after serving 40% of their time. It used to be 50%.
The Scottish Prison Service will release inmates in three groups. The first group was released between Tuesday and Thursday. The next groups come out in March. Those convicted of abuse or sex crimes don’t get early release.
The government expects fewer prisoners due to this change. They think the prison population will drop by 5%. Last summer, they freed 477 prisoners early to ease overcrowding.
Sixty-one of them had to go back later. A report said prisons face risks like understaffing. Overcrowding causes overstretched services too. The SPS says prisons can hold 8,300 people maximum. This number includes double cell occupancy. Recent numbers show 8,289 prisoners are in jail.
Victims get notified if a prisoner’s date changes in their case. This happens if they signed up for a notification scheme. Victims can still ask the SPS for information directly. Victims can also let some groups get release information for them. Some organizations include Victim Support Scotland and Rape Crisis Scotland.
The Justice Secretary spoke about cutting the high prison number. She said they took multiple steps, including necessities, to release some offenders early. Legislation reforms include actions for bail, the children in care act, and not sending under-18s to prison. She added that they keep putting money into community justice programs. They must keep doing many things to cut prison numbers.