Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Araghchi: We have always supported Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity at all times, we still do in these difficult circumstances.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi from Beirut: Lebanon's independence and territorial integrity are of great importance to Iran, we support it against occupation.
Israeli army admits 3 soldiers of rank of Staff Sergeant were killed, 2 others injured in northern Gaza.
Occupied Palestine: Palestinian media: Martyrs and injuries as a result of the Israeli occupation firing on displaced people while they were waiting for aid west of Rafah.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in occupied Palestine: 3 martyrs, including a child, as a result of Israeli occupation forces bombing displaced persons' tents in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
Israeli media: Yedioth Ahronoth: Concern in "Israel" over changes within the US administration in recent days.
Al-Qassam Brigades says its fighters are engaging in fierce clashes with the occupation forces, killing and wounding soldiers east of Jabalia camp.
Israeli media platforms are circulating preliminary reports about a multi-causalty ambush in Jabalia camp, Gaza.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: 35 martyrs, 75 injured in occupation targeting of civilians seeking food aid in Rafah, Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
Da Silva: What is happening in Gaza is not a war, it is a genocide

England, Wales jails overcrowded, will reach ‘breaking point’ in July

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 20 Jun 2024 08:51
  • 2 Shares
4 Min Read

The development will likely trigger Operation Early Dawn, a crisis measure that permits offenders to be housed in police cells when prisons are full.

Listen
  • x
  • Prisons
    Barbed and razor wires are installed on the fence at The Port Isabel Detention Center, as seen during a media tour of the Port Isabel Detention Center (PIDC), in Los Fresnos, Texas, June 10, 2024. (AP)

Prison governors in England and Wales have been cautioned that by the second week of July, jails will be so overcrowded that they will struggle to accommodate any more inmates, creating an immediate crisis for the incoming UK government, The Guardian reported on Thursday.

HM Prison and Probation Service officials informed prison heads in England and Wales earlier this month that data indicates an “operational capacity breaking point” will be reached just days after the general election on July 4.

The news website suggested that the development will likely trigger Operation Early Dawn, a crisis measure that permits offenders to be housed in police cells when prisons are full, and may also lead magistrates' courts to delay cases. These measures complement a temporary government scheme that allows prisoners to be released up to 70 days early.

Legal challenges may hinder further overcrowding

"We understand that we will no longer be able to receive prisoners from court in the second to third week of July. It is not an exact science – but it is very soon after the election," stated Tom Wheatley, president of the Prison Governors Association.

He noted that "this position was projected some time ago," indicating that "the outgoing government did not take the necessary action in a timely fashion to avoid this."

Related News

Car rams into crowd at Liverpool's title parade; suspect detained

British MP admits he 'got it wrong' on 'Israel', withdraws support

Wheatley added that any attempt to further overcrowd prisons beyond their operational capacity could face legal challenges, saying, "If a new government arrives and says: ‘We want more people in,’ it would be challenged in court by the PGA because ministers would be placing our members at risk."

According to The Guardian, Operation Early Dawn is typically used for very short periods, usually no longer than a week, to manage immediate, localized pressures on the prison estate

It enhances coordination between police stations, the Prison Service, and the courts to ensure that no one is taken to court unless the Prison Service can guarantee a space for them if they are remanded.

The latest figures released by the Ministry of Justice on 14 June showed that the usable capacity in prisons across England and Wales was 88,815, while the population was 87,347.

Operation Early Dawn was triggered in May in London and northeast England before being rolled out across the country due to concerns over prison overcrowding. During the same month, police were also instructed to consider making fewer arrests due to the lack of space in prisons.

Officials have also developed plans to reduce the time served by prisoners from the current halfway point in their sentences to about 43%.

The Guardian noted that the Conservative party has laid aside its pledge to ensure that most sentences under 12 months should be suspended and served in the community, rather than in prison. This proposal was part of the sentencing bill introduced during the last session of parliament, but its progress stalled when a group of right-wing Tory MPs opposed the policy.

The news website cited Labour insiders as saying that the party would push through planning permission for new prisons but have not specified how they would address the immediate overcrowding crisis, noting they lacked access to government data but were aware of the "brutal inheritance" they face, given that the party is widely expected to form the next UK government.

Read more: UK gov. accused of spending over £130bln in taxpayer money

  • England
  • Labour Party
  • Conservative Party
  • Wales
  • United Kingdom

Most Read

Lebanon's PM Nawaf Salam meets with US envoy Morgan Ortagus in Beirut on April 5, 2025 (Dalati Nohra via AP)AP)

Morgan Ortagus to exit US role in Lebanon amid policy shift

  • Politics
  • 1 Jun 2025
An Israeli army vehicle moves in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern occupied Palestine, Thursday, May 29, 2025 (AP)

Hamas rejects Witkoff ceasefire plan, says alters terms

  • Politics
  • 29 May 2025
Spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, announces a new operation against Ben Gurion Airport on May 29, 2025 (Yemeni Military Media)

Yemen announces successful hypersonic missile strike on Ben Gurion

  • Politics
  • 30 May 2025
It may well be due to the longstanding relationship between MI6 and HTS, via Inter Mediate, that Britain was the first Western country to recognise their assumption of government in Syria. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab El-Hajj)

How MI6 helped HTS seize Syria

  • Opinion
  • 31 May 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Army commanders tour the operations sectors of the Iraqi army Seventh Brigade, in Anbar, Iraq, Sunday, December 29, 2019 (AP)
Politics

Kataib Hezbollah warns US forces against postponing Iraq withdrawal

(@rafaelmgrossi)
Politics

Egypt urges 'Israel' to join NPT, citing regional nuclear imbalance

AP
Politics

US deal proposal allows Iran to enrich Uranium to Low-Level: Reports

screengrab
Politics

Former Biden spox. Matthew Miller says 'Israel' committed war crimes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS