The Ministry of Justice announced that Justice Secretary Shabanah Mahmood will issue a warning today that the legal system is “on the brink of total collapse” and that this puts “the public at risk of unchecked criminality on our streets.”
If the prison crisis spreads to policing, a senior source in law enforcement has cautioned of a “intolerable” situation “which may impact on the behaviour of criminals”.
Prisoners are housed at police facilities when prison rooms are not available.
Additionally, the administration is anticipated to outline the consequences and outlook for a contentious early release.
This permits the release of some offenders up to 70 days prior to the completion of their sentence.
There are worries that thieves would take advantage of jails’ limited capacity to commit crimes they wouldn’t ordinarily commit, like stealing.
“That would be a very serious situation to get into uncharted territory that we need to avoid at all costs,” a source said.
