1 initiative · 2 reports
decarceration · active · 2024–ongoing
Faced with England & Wales prisons running out of cells in 2024, the new Labour government legislated to release most standard-determinate-sentence prisoners after 40% (rather than 50%) of their term served. The change applies to eligible prisoners across the existing population and to new sentences.
Official UK MoJ projections show the England & Wales prison population continuing to rise past 100,000 by 2027 unless legislative action is taken. The 2024 emergency early-release scheme (SDS40) is treated as a temporary mitigation, not a structural fix.
Examines why suicide remains the leading cause of death in English and Welsh prisons. Analyses the link between short sentences, remand churn, and self-inflicted deaths, and proposes reforms including expanded mental-health screening and the abolition of short prison sentences.