HUNDREDS of potentially dangerous prisoners will be let out of jail tomorrow as new SNP laws around early release come into force.
Around 400 criminals serving sentences of four years or less will be let out over the next six weeks under plans which have seen the point of automatic release drop from 50 per cent to 40 per cent of their sentence.
Hundreds of prisoners will be released[/caption]
SNP Justice Secretary Angela Constance[/caption]
Nats ministers claimed they were forced into the move amid huge pressure on Scottish jails.
Latest figures show 8,289 prisoners are behind bars, well above the safe capacity of 8,007.
But Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr warned the move would see victims betrayed and see many criminals re-offend and back behind bars.
He said: “The release of more dangerous criminals today poses an immediate threat to public safety.
“It is just common sense that prisoners should serve their sentences in full.
“However, under the soft-touch SNP, criminals are shamefully getting a free pass yet again”
The mass release comes after Nats ministers changed the law last year to reduce the automatic point of release for prisoners serving four years or less from 50 per cent to 40 per cent of their sentence.
However this will not extend to those serving jail time for sexual offences or domestic abuse.
SNP justice secretary Angela Constance claimed the move was necessary due to increased numbers of prisoners stretching the capacity of Scotland’s jails to “critical” levels.
But a similar early release programme last year which saw 477 prisoners let out early resulted in 61 back behind bars within days.
Figures show a third were back in jail due to violent crimes, and another third because of crimes of dishonesty such as fraud and theft, with 12 lifted by cops within 10 days.
The fresh release of prisoners comes two weeks after Nats ministers said the long-delayed new Barlinnie jail would now cost a whopping £1billion.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “The Prisoners (Early Release) (Scotland) Act will bring a sustained reduction to prisoner numbers so the prison estate can continue to function effectively.”
A Scottish Prison Service spokesman added: “We have been managing an extremely high and complex prison population for more than a year, putting considerable pressure on all those living and working in our establishments, and welcome action, including through the Prisoners (Early Release) (Scotland) Bill, to address this.”
It comes amid fears Scotland’s jails are under pressure[/caption]
