Mahmood: I had 'no choice' but to release some prisoners earlypublished at 15:34 British Summer Time 12 July

15:34 BST 12 July

Sima Kotecha
Senior UK correspondent

Image source, PA Media

Shabana Mahmood’s been having detailed conversations with prison staff as she’s toured two jails today - HMP Bedford and HMP Five Wells in Wellingborough.

She’s been discussing what rehabilitation is taking place behind bars - asking staff about various courses and projects inmates are undertaking.

After finishing both tours, she told a pack of journalists several times that she had inherited a mess from the Tory government, and that she had no choice but to release some people early or the criminal justice system would come to a halt.

She explained that police needed somewhere to put suspects and that the courts needed cells for convicts and people placed on remand.

It’s clear her message was “this isn’t my fault”.

But how her plans pan out could put down an early marker on her handling of crime and punishment.

A decision to address the prisons crisis "needed to be taken and none would have been without risk", chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor says.

Responding to the government's plans, announced earlier, Taylor also says "this measure will inevitably lead to the early release of some risky offenders, and will add to the workload of already stretched prison OMUs and probation services."

Taylor says prison inspectors "will be watching very closely" how prisoners eligible to be released are prepared for it.

Earlier today, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood visited two prisons ahead of announcing her plans to release thousands of prisoners early in an attempt to prevent a "collapse" of the system.

She visited HMP Bedford first, before later touring HMP Five Wells in Wellingborough.

Here are some pictures from her visit to HMP Bedford, accompanied by its governor Sarah Bott:

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

We can bring you more detail now on the government's plans to release thousands of prisoners early in an attempt to stem overcrowding in prisons.

As we mentioned earlier, there will be a temporary measure to reduce the length of certain sentences from 50% to 40%.

The reduction in time served will not apply to those who committed serious violent offences, as well as sex offences, with sentences of four years or more.

This includes:

• Stalking offences
• Controlling or coercive behaviours in an intimate or family relationship
• Non-fatal strangulation and suffocation
• Breach of restraining order, non-molestation order, and domestic abuse protection order

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has confirmed that the government temporarily plans to reduce the length of certain sentences from 50% to 40% in an attempt to tackle prison overcrowding.

Here's a quick rundown of what she said during her speech at HMP Five Wells:

• Prisons would have run out of space "within weeks" without immediate action to address overcrowding, Mahmood said, adding this would lead to "a total breakdown of law and order"
• These plans do not apply to violent offenders serving more than four years, sex offenders, or people in prison for crimes connected to domestic abuse
• Those serving extended or life sentences are also exempt from the scheme
• Mahmood said that if prison space ran out, the country faced the possibility of "van loads of dangerous people circling the country with nowhere to go"
• An additional 1,000 trainee probation officers will be recruited by March next year

Reacting to Labour's plans, National Police Chiefs’ Council Chair Chief Constable Gavin Stephens said it was "pleasing" to see action was being taken so quickly, adding that they were supporting the Ministry of Justice to manage the impact of the changes.

The justice secretary says 1,000 additional trainee probation officers will be recruited by March next year.

She also announces an end to the previous government's early release scheme, which saw 10,000 prisoners released up to 70 days early.

Mahmood says these measures "give us the time we need to address the prisons crisis" adding now there is "only one way to avert disaster".

If prison spaces run out, the country faces the possibility of "van-loads of dangerous people circling the country with nowhere to go", police officers unable to arrest criminals "and looters running amok", the justice secretary says.

Mahmood confirms the government temporarily plans to reduce the length of certain sentences served in prison from 50% to 40%, with "important safeguards and exemptions to keep the public safe".

This would not apply to violent offenders serving more than four years, sex offenders or those in prison for crimes connected to domestic abuse, she adds.

Dangerous offenders serving extended or life sentences would also be exempt from the scheme.

Speaking at HMP Five Wells in Northamptonshire, Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood says prisons would have run out of space within weeks without immediate action to address overcrowding.

If this happened, it would lead to "a total breakdown of law and order", Mahmood says.

Prisons are "on the point of collapse", she adds.

Image source, PA Media

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced plans for thousands of prisoners to be released early, as the government attempts to prevent a "collapse" of the prison system.

The change is expected to come into force in September.

Image source, PA Media

Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer says the government needs to focus on "prevention, rehabilitation and restorative justice" ahead of this afternoon's expected announcement of measures to free up prison space.

Labour needs to "work to reduce the number of people being sent to prison in the first place," Denyer says, adding that it should start by publishing the expert drug policy advice sent to the home secretary in 2016, which advised on decriminalising possession.

Denyer says prison is a "demonstrably ineffective" way of reducing reoffending which has devastating effects on people's lives, and calls for "funding for youth services to be restored" along with "investment in probation and prison services".

She welcomes the appointment of James Timpson as prisons minister as "a chance to set a new tone on criminal justice".

As we've been reporting, we're expecting an announcement from the government shortly on emergency measures to free up prison space, including releasing prisoners early to tackle overcrowding.

We'll be bringing you the latest on that when we have it. While we wait, here's a look some of the key comment from this morning:

• Mark Icke, the vice president of the Prison Governors' Association, has told BBC Radio 4 that prison governors have been "warning for some time" that "we've got far too many prisoners in our system"
• Earlier this morning, Zara Aleena's aunt told BBC Breakfast that she believes releasing prisoners early is "a dangerous gamble with public safety" - Zara was murdered by Jordan McSweeny nine days after he was released and was in the process of being recalled
• Rory Stewart, who is a former prisons minister, says the crisis in prisons is a "total disgrace", adding that the only answer is “to put fewer people in prison for less time"
• Sir Mark Rowley, the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, has called releasing inmates early "the least worst option"
• Meanwhile, new Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the problem with overcrowding in prisons is "worse than we thought", during his visit to a Nato summit in Washington DC

We're expecting to hear from new Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood shortly, so stick with us.

How many people are in prison?published at 13:48 British Summer Time 12 July

13:48 BST 12 July

By Ben Chu and Lucy Gilder

Ministry of Justice figures published today, external show the total England and Wales prison population is 87,505, close to the record high of 88,000 in 2011.

And the "usable operational capacity" - the total number of people a prison can hold while taking into account issues like control and security - was 88,956, leaving spare capacity of just 1,451 places.

This is well above the prison service’s own measure of a "good, decent standard of accommodation", which at the end of June was 79,698.

At current rates, the prison population is projected to rise by about 19,000, external, by 2028, while capacity is set to rise by 9,000.

Image source, Getty Images

A prison taken over by the government after a series of failings is "in crisis" and "not safe enough", a new report has found.

HMP Lowdham Grange saw six deaths in custody in 2023 in the months after it transferred from Serco to Sodexo - the first time a prison had moved from one private contractor to another in the UK.

In the new report, the Independent Monitoring Board, a statutory body, says conditions have been hampered by illegal drugs, "associated violence" and inexperienced staff.

The Category B jail was taken over on an interim basis last December, but the government confirmed it would be a permanent move in May after another highly critical report.

In a statement, the Ministry of Justice said there had been "positive change".

• You can read more on this story here.

BBC Radio 5 Live callers have been sharing their thoughts on the government's plans to release some prisoners early to stem overcrowding, due to be announced later today.

Here's a snapshot of what they're saying:

Vanessa, a former prison governor, says there's "no quick fix" and that the scheme is "the best that we can do". “I would hope it’s on a case-by-case basis and each prisoner is risk assessed," she adds.

Steven, another former prison officer, believes early release "won't work because probation is not set up for it", adding that "we’ve got the highest recall ever".

Sue, a volunteer in Owestry who helps run a restorative justice course, says completing the course results in lower reoffending rates. "Surely that’s got to be the aim, hasn’t it - to get as many prisoners as possible to a state where they don’t reoffend," she adds.

More waiting for trial and being recalled means more in prisonspublished at 12:42 British Summer Time 12 July

12:42 BST 12 July

By Ben Chu and Lucy Gilder

Also contributing to there being more people in prison are the number of inmates awaiting trial and the number who have been recalled to prison.

In March this year, the remand prison population stood at 16,458, external people awaiting trial, a record high. In 2016, it was about 10,000.

Some of this increase has been driven by a record number of Crown Court cases waiting to be heard.

In addition, more people are being returned to prison for breaching their release conditions. In March, the number was around 12,000 - another record high - and roughly double the number in 2016.

Helen Catt
Political correspondent

Image source, PA Media

Overcrowding in prisons will "force" the government to change the way it deals with prisoners serving indeterminate sentences, ex-home secretary David Blunkett has said.

Latest figures show, external just under the 1,425 free cells in men's prisons needed for the system to run smoothly - jeopardizing safety and rehabilitation efforts.

Around 2,800 people are still serving Indefinite Sentences for Public Protection (IPPs), reserved for serious sexual and violent offenders, which have no end date.

Labour peer Lord Blunkett, who introduced IPPs in 2005, said "radical" reforms are necessary to address the ongoing crisis.

As we've reported, the government is expected to announce plans to release some prisoners early, to ease overcrowding.

Until now, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has been "incredibly cautious" about announcing reforms to IPPs, Lord Blunkett said.

• You can read more on this here

Rise in longer sentences contributing to fuller prisonspublished at 12:11 British Summer Time 12 July

12:11 BST 12 July

By Ben Chu and Lucy Gilder

One of the reasons for prisons having got so full is longer sentences, according to the Institute for Government think-tank, external.

It calculated that in 2023, the average prison sentence given in the Crown Courts in England and Wales, which deal with more serious offences, was more than 25% longer than in 2012.

For some crimes, the increase has been even greater. Sentences for robbery, for example, were 13 months longer on average in 2023 than in 2012, a rise of 36%.

Longer sentences mean more people in prison at any given time.

Image source, Reuters

The former Conservative justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland says his advice to the new Labour justice secretary is to ensure "we aren't releasing people who could pose a risk".

The government's expected plans to release some prisoners early to ease overcrowding won’t include serious criminals such as sex offenders, rapists and terrorists.

Buckland, who lost his seat in the general election, says the government needs to be "absolutely iron" on its commitment to protect the public.

"Because sending mixed messages about punishment is not a good way, frankly, to start a penal policy when you've just taken office," he tells Sky News.

Buckland says only 6,000 of the 20,000 new prison places the Tories had promised by the end of this year had been created.

The Times is among those leading on the government's plans, external to release thousands of prisoners early.

It describes the move as a way to "ease the crisis in the justice system" after a warning from police chiefs that inaction could lead to a breakdown of law and order "within weeks". It says the measure is only expected to apply to prisoners serving sentences of less than four years.

The Daily Mail says Conservatives have "blasted" Labour's warnings, external about full prisons as "shameless scaremongering".

The Tory MP Neil O'Brien tells the paper "the idea we would be safer if lots of criminals were let out of jail is absolute nonsense".

• You can read more on what else today's papers are reporting here

The government has just released its weekly update on prison population figures, external across England and Wales.

The prison population stands at 87,505; that's 83,859 male inmates and 3,646 female inmates across prisons, the Ministry of Justice's latest figures show.

The "useable operational capacity" is 88,956, which would indicate there are 1,451 spaces left across English and Welsh prisons.