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UK to Release Thousands of Prisoners Early to Avert Crisis
Starting in September, thousands of prisoners in the UK will be released early to prevent the prison system from collapsing, announced Shabana Mahmood, the new justice minister. The prison population in England and Wales has reached critical levels, with just 700 spaces left for men and facilities operating at 99% capacity since 2023. Mahmood, appointed following Labour’s general election victory, warned of severe consequences if action isn’t taken, including a potential breakdown of law and order. Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, also emphasized the urgent need for action as prisons are at “breaking point.”
The early release plan will not include violent offenders, sex offenders, domestic abusers, or those serving life sentences. Only prisoners eligible for automatic release after serving half their sentence will be freed earlier, now after serving 40% of their sentence. The total number of prisoners recently exceeded 87,505, with over 83,800 men, leaving just 1,451 available spaces. To address this, the government is also building six new prisons to create an additional 20,000 places.
The Prison Governors’ Association welcomed the measures but called for a comprehensive review to prevent similar situations in the future. PGA chairman Mark Fairhurst stated that the early releases would free up around 4,500-5,000 spaces, providing 12 to 18 months of relief before further measures are needed.
Nigerian news analyst, Mahmud Jega, has shared his opinion on the recent airstrike carried out by the United States in Nigeria, stating that Nigerians should not blame President Bola Tinubu for the incident.
Jega made this statement during a recent interview, where he said he does not believe many people will hold the Tinubu administration responsible, as Donald Trump had issued threats against Nigeria long before Tinubu’s administration.
“No, I don’t think many people will blame the Tinubu administration for what is happening now because President Donald Trump, when he first made the threats, it was clearly not in coordination with the Tinubu administration or the government of Nigeria,” Jega said.
It has been reported that the United States carried out an airstrike targeting ISIS in the northwest region of Nigeria. The order was reportedly given by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS terrorist elements in northwest Nigeria,” Trump said.
He added, “I have previously warned these terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was.”
The Federal Government of Nigeria has officially declared the holiday dates for the festive season.
Thursday, December 25 will be observed as Christmas Day, December 26 as Boxing Day, and Thursday, January 1 as New Year’s Day.
The declaration was made by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dr. Magdalene Ajani. He also added that Nigerians should celebrate the holidays in faith and pray for the nation.
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