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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.
TV anchor Rufai Oseni makes headlines as he speaks on fuel subsidy in Nigeria. He shared that Nigeria can have fuel subsidy without the long queues at filling stations.
“When we were still paying subsidies, there were no long queues. We were subsidising. So you can still have a subsidy regime going on, and there will be no long queues because production was close by. Dangote had it. That’s just it. That argument also falls flat.
“The biggest beneficiaries of subsidy are not Nigerians. They are crony capitalists that have big infrastructure, and they do contracts. They have been the biggest beneficiaries of the subsidy,” he said.
Lagos State Governor, Sanwo-Olu, speaks to those in the electricity sector about the usual blackouts in the state.
He speaks on ways things can change in the state and how electricity can be provided.
“We need to drop corporate egos, abandon long-standing excuses, and confront the harsh realities obstructing progress in the power sector.”
“We, state governments, used to give excuses that everything is centralised, so the Federal Government has unbundled it now. What have we done in a year and a half?” Sanwo-Olu asked.
“We take two steps forward, we go five steps backward,” he said.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has declared Thursday, August 20, a work-free day for public servants in the state to mark the Isese Festival.
Speaking on the celebration, he said “Ìṣẹ̀ṣe is not a relic. It is a living expression of our traditions and a celebration of Yoruba spirituality as an important part of Nigeria’s cultural and religious landscape,” he said.
He added “When the drums sound in Lagos on Thursday, they answer drums in Havana, in Salvador, in Port of Spain. Fifty-five million people and counting. Lagos is not observing a local holiday. Lagos is standing at the centre of a global heritage,” Aregbe said.
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