Early release of hundreds of prisoners in Scotland begins

18 February 2025, 09:45

The early release of prisoners in Scotland continues today with hundreds of inmates expected to be set free over the next few weeks.

Emergency legislation was passed by MSPs in November in a bid to ease overcrowding in the nation's jails.

Short-term inmates serving less than four years will now be set free after serving 40% of their sentence as opposed to the previous 50%.

The Prisoners (Early Release) (Scotland) Act - which came into force last week - also applies to prisoners sentenced from now on.

An estimated 260 to 390 inmates will be released in three tranches, beginning on Tuesday.

• Tranche one: 18-20 February
• Tranche two: 4-6 March
• Tranche three: 18-20 March

Prisoners serving sentences for domestic abuse or sexual offences are excluded from the new scheme.

In the long term, the Scottish government said the change could result in a sustained reduction of about 5% to the sentenced prison population.

According to the latest SPS data, Scotland's prison population was 8,289 on 6 February - above the target operating capacity of 8,007.

Justice Secretary Angela Constance previously said: "While not a complete solution, this act will bring sustained reduction to prisoner numbers so the prison estate can continue to function effectively."

The victim notification scheme (VNS) remains unchanged.

Those who have signed up for the scheme will be informed automatically by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) if there is a change to the release date of the prisoner in their case.

Victims who are not signed up can contact the SPS directly for the information.

They can also nominate Victim Support Scotland (VSS), Rape Crisis Scotland, ASSIST or Children First to receive the information on their behalf.

Information on the number of prisoners set free at each tranche and how many victims notified will be published within two months of the initial release.

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A total of 477 inmates were let out early in four tranches last summer as part of efforts to ease overcrowding, with 57 returning to prison within weeks after reportedly committing further crimes.

Kate Wallace, chief executive of VSS, said "only 2% of victims were notified" the last time prisoners were released early.