Extra prisoners set free

MORE than 1,000 extra prisoners are set to be freed this week as the Government puts the latest stage of its plan to ease jail overcrowding into action.

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Today, around 1,100 inmates will be released as the policy is expanded to those serving sentences of five years or more.

It follows the first release of around 1,700 prisoners from jails across England and Wales on September 10.

This came after Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced plans in July to cut temporarily the proportion of sentences inmates must serve behind bars from 50% to 40%, as the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said overcrowding had pushed jails to the "point of collapse".

A steady stream of eligible prisoners have been leaving jails under the changes ever since. The policy is expected to be reviewed within 18 months.