Early release scheme risks more serious crimes, probation chief warns

The chief inspector of probation for England and Wales has told the BBC the early release of thousands of prisoners could lead to "a serious sexual or violent offence or even murder" because of the demands on probation staff to monitor offenders.

The government is set to release 5,000 offenders from October as part of new laws to create more space in overcrowded prisons.

Probation officers supervise offenders after prison sentences and check they follow the terms of their release, such as sticking to curfews and not taking drugs.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said "protecting the public is our top priority", adding it had invested in probation and hiring trainee officers.

But Martin Jones, His Majesty's Chief Inspector of probation for England and Wales, told the BBC that "ultimately I'm not fully confident that the probation system will be able to cope with this massive work and there's a risk that things will go wrong".

"Probation services are already under unprecedented pressure.

"I mean, they're managing a caseload of 258,000 cases, that's nearly three times the number that are in our prisons, and obviously the early release scheme will be increasing that pressure considerably."

Probation officers help former prisoners with housing, employment and access to benefits once in the community, and help protect the public by assessing the risk of further offending.