Far-right riots Great Britain Of Jails i Prisoners The number of people has reached extreme limits, after which the government has started emergency measures to reduce the rush.
After at least 677 suspected rioters were charged following the mass riots, experts fear that the barely created capacity of releasing prisoners early is running out.
In Merseyside, where clashes broke out for the first time since the murders of three schoolgirls last month, there were reports of only two prisons remaining at the weekend as rioters appeared in court for hearings. had gone
This is the latest crisis to affect the criminal justice system.
Stuart Nolan, head of the criminal law committee at the Law Society, said the riots were ‘the last straw that broke the camel’s back’.
‘When you have a chronic condition, all you need is one acute problem and the whole situation becomes difficult,’ he told The Independent.
At least 460 people had appeared in magistrates’ courts by the end of last week.
Mark Fairhurst, head of the Association of Prison Officers, said the arrival of 397 new inmates left just 340 places in men’s prisons across the country.
Operation Early Dawn, which began in northern areas including Merseyside on Monday, has been described as a ‘one-in-one-out’ policy whereby defendants will be held in police cells and summoned to magistrates’ courts until space becomes available. will not be done.
There are fears that the move could allow suspects to be released on police bail if prisons are not available, although ministers insist that no one who poses a threat to the public should be released. will
The prime minister admitted his government was making ‘difficult decisions’ as weeks of violent disorder put ‘extra pressure’ on the prison system inherited from the Tories.
Downing Street says the North East and Yorkshire, Cumbria and Lancashire. And plans in force in the Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire areas could be switched on and off several times over the next few weeks.
Asked whether public safety was threatened by emergency measures during a visit to Belfast, Sir Keir Starmer said the government was ‘making really tough decisions, and nobody wants to make those decisions’ because of the previous Conservative administration. Due to ‘fundamental failure’ there was not enough capacity available in prisons.
Long-term measures announced to reduce overcrowding, which will see some inmates serve only 40 percent of their sentences in prison, will not come into force until September 10.
The SDS 40 scheme – which does not apply to offenders of sex offences, terrorism, domestic violence or certain violent crimes – is expected to result in the release of 5,500 offenders in September and October.
The Prison Reforms Trust (PRT) has warned that Operation Early Dawn will be stepped up with more possible measures to ease the growing pressure in the coming months as prisons run out of space after the arrival of hundreds of rioters. Expansion may be required.
The decision comes after months of warnings from criminal justice leaders that the prison system is at breaking point, The Independent reports.
Alex Hewson, interim head of policy and communications at the PRT, said: ‘I think it’s a worrying time because the capacity that the government created by introducing SDS 40 has been rapidly eroded. I think it’s going to be a tough few months until they figure it out.
‘It shows how little flexibility there is in the system.’
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Mr Nolan said the emergency measures announced under Operation Early Dawn were designed to help ease short-term pressures, but would not solve the long-term problem.
He added, ‘The hope is that this will relieve excess pressure from critical areas. But that doesn’t solve the problem. It just moves him and gives him some time off.
Andrew Nelson of the Howard League for Penal Reform said the emergency measures were ‘worrying’ but would help maintain prison conditions until automatic release measures were implemented as soon as possible. .
“I think there will obviously be decisions that are made on a day-to-day basis that are part of what Early Dawn does,” he said. They are a tool for the government to manage in the next few weeks. It is actually managing the day-to-day pressure between the courts, police custody and prison.’
Meanwhile, the Magistrates’ Association has said it is ‘very concerned’ about hearing delays adding to the court’s backlog.
Chief executive Tom Franklin said he had been assured that the pressure would ease once the SDS40 scheme was implemented.
He said that every delayed case has an impact on the real life of victims, witnesses and defendants and results in magistrates and court staff waiting instead of delivering justice. This is a waste of resources, at a time when there are already massive backlogs.
This emergency move – though necessary – also highlights the crumbling state of the criminal justice system and the need for more resources at every stage of the justice process.
Deputy Chief Constable New Kemp, head of the National Police Chiefs Council, said: ‘Police will continue to arrest anyone they need to arrest to keep the public safe, including policing demonstrations and events and This includes ensuring that people are arrested as expected.’
Operation Early Dawn was previously launched by the Conservative government in May to deal with prison overcrowding.
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2024-08-21 02:43:37