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[text/observer network chen sijia] according to a report by the british guardian on september 9, due to overcrowding in prisons in england and wales, the british government is preparing to release about 1,700 prisoners ahead of schedule to ease the problem of overcrowding in prisons. the british prime minister's office warned that if there is not enough space to detain criminals, the uk may face "unchecked crime."

but the news has angered many victims and their families, who accused the british government of "betraying" the victims. sources also revealed that "quite a few" victims did not receive warnings and did not know that the criminals had been released early. british charities are worried that this could lead to "serious consequences."

prisons in england and wales will release prisoners from local time on the 10th. according to the plan announced by the british ministry of justice in july, most prisoners will be eligible for early release after serving 40% of their sentences, but those sentenced to four years or more in serious violent crimes and sexual crimes, as well as those imprisoned for domestic violence and related crimes will be excluded from the plan.

but the guardian reported that british ministry of justice officials admitted last week that the early release plan will actually cover some prisoners involved in serious violent crimes. officials said that if these prisoners have completed their felony sentences and are currently serving consecutive sentences for less serious crimes, they are also eligible for early release.

prisons in england and wales will release 1,700 prisoners on the 10th local time, and a total of 5,500 people are expected to be released early in september and october.

a spokesman for the uk ministry of justice previously said: "the new government took over a justice system in crisis and a prison system on the verge of collapse. in order to prevent the crisis from happening, the ministry of justice was forced to introduce an early release plan, otherwise the criminal justice system will be overwhelmed and we will not be able to detain criminals and protect the public."

a spokesman for the british prime minister's office said on the 9th that british prime minister starmer had previously pointed out that no government should be trapped in a situation where there is a shortage of prison space. "that is why we made this decision immediately. if we don't do this, there will not be enough space in the prison, and we will face a situation where crime cannot be stopped and the police cannot arrest criminals."

diana johnson, the home office's secretary of state for police, fire and crime prevention, told british media on the 9th that the judiciary has been working hard to develop plans to strengthen supervision of those released early. "if they commit crimes again, they will be sent back to prison. we have taken a series of measures to ensure that everything goes well tomorrow."

but the news angered many victims and their families, who saw the early release plan as a "betrayal" by the british government.

british resident doreen soulsby's daughter joanne tulip was stabbed 60 times in 1997. steven ling was sentenced to life in prison for her murder, although he also admitted to rape, for which he was not convicted.

the guardian reported that the uk parole board recommended that lin be released early at a hearing in july this year, on the condition that he report any relationship he may have developed to the authorities, accept surveillance and curfew, and stay away from the victim's family. the parole board believes that "imprisonment is no longer necessary to protect the public."

soulesby was extremely dissatisfied with the decision. she said in a statement: "the man who committed a terrible crime against my daughter was considered not to be a high risk and could be released safely from prison. this is outrageous... this is not only a betrayal to joanne's family, but also a betrayal to the families of other victims in similar situations." she called on the uk ministry of justice to reject the recommendations of the parole board to avoid damage to public confidence in the justice system.

british government sources also revealed that a "significant number" of victims did not receive warnings and did not know that the offender would be released from prison early. a british charity warned that this could have "serious consequences" and that "survivors may not even know when the offender will be released from prison because inadequate victim contact plans only apply to serious sexual or violent crimes where the offender is sentenced to more than 12 months in prison."

the uk has the highest incarceration rate in western europe. the guardian pointed out that as of september 6, local time, the total number of prisoners in prisons in england and wales reached 88,521, approaching the prison capacity limit. the labour party previously attributed this problem to the "mess" left by the conservative government and promised to build 14,000 new prison cells after taking office.

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