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
Russian agency: Russia will conduct a nuclear test if the US does
Al-Nakhalah: We are the rightful owners, and we must fight to retrieve our rights
Al-Nakhalah: The enemy and its allies must know that we can never surrender to their terms and diktats after all the sacrifices made
Al-Nakhalah: The prisoner exchange clause can be completed in the next few days, and thus we will have pulled the [explosion] fuse and removed the enemy's justifications for aggression
Al-Nakhalah: The Resistance has expressed its willingness to negotiate on the basis that there are items that can be dealt with positively, the first of which is the prisoner exchange item
Al-Nakhalah: Trump's plan entails the Palestinian people's declaration of complete surrender to the enemy
PIJ Secretary-General, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, in an address aired on Al Mayadeen: The Resistance is engaging in a fierce negotiating battle under the so-called Trump plan
Russian Federation Council approves joint military cooperation agreement with Cuba
Al-Nunu: Today, the lists of prisoners required to be released, the agreed-upon criteria and numbers, were exchanged
Al-Nunu from Sharm el-Sheikh: Negotiations focused on mechanisms for implementing an end to the war, the withdrawal of occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, and the exchange of prisoners

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

Britain poised to formally recognize Palestine on Sunday

UK town protests JD Vance’s holiday in the Cotswolds

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

Tucker Carlson speaks at a memorial for Charlie Kirk, Sunday, September 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (AP)

Tucker Carlson: Israeli officers gave orders on Iran inside Pentagon

  • Politics
  • 2 Oct 2025
A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
ap

'Israel' pays influencers $7K per post to whitewash Gaza genocide

  • Politics
  • 1 Oct 2025
Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder revealed

Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder exposed

  • Politics
  • 5 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
In this May 20, 20201, photo Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of US Central Command, arrives in Baghdad, Iraq (AP)
Politics

US spent $33 billion on post-Oct.7 genocide, wars, Brown Uni reports

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., holds a news conference to mark the seventh day of the government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (AP)
Politics

US troops face unpaid wages as government shutdown drags on

Mourners wave Hezbollah and a Palestinian flag during the funeral of Hezbollah former leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and his successor Sayyed Hashem Safieddine in the Sports City Stadium in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, February 23, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Hezbollah voices support for Gaza, Resistance on October 7 anniversary

Al-Aqsa Flood restored Palestinian cause on the global stage: Hamas
Politics

Al-Aqsa Flood restored Palestinian cause on the global stage: Hamas

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