Scotland will release prisoners early to ease crowding in a staged plan, with releases spanning over the next six weeks.
A new law changed when prisoners can be released, affecting those serving less than four years. Now, they can be freed after serving 40% of their time, previously 50%. About 260 to 390 folks will be released in stages, handled by the Scottish Prison Service, across three timeframes.
The first release is Tuesday to Thursday this week, then March 4-6, and March 18-20. The government thinks it will lower prison numbers by 5%, but those convicted of some crimes won’t be released early.
Michael Stoney runs HMP Barlinnie prison and thinks this will help them. He believes it frees up space for improving conditions and helps them better support inmates. They can work with them, challenge behaviour, and perhaps lower reoffending.
Last summer, an early release freed 477 inmates, with sixty-one of those returning to custody later. Stoney noted that the summer release helped a lot as they reduced severe overcrowding at a critical moment. Barlinnie feels overcrowding more than other prisons.
Stoney hopes the new law brings lasting change. Victims in the VNS get alerts; VNS stands for Victims Notification Scheme and they get told about changes to release dates. Others can ask the Scottish Prison Service for updates, and victims can name groups to get details. Victim Support Scotland and others can receive data for them.
Justice Secretary Angela Constance spoke about the issue, stating there is no quick solution to high prison numbers. They are using legislative measures, and releasing short-term offenders early is one action. They invest in community justice to address this.