Jails free extra 5,000 offenders to cut crowding

The number of criminals released early from sentences for robbery, assault and other serious offences increased by 5,000 last year after a Government push to combat the rise in Britain's jail population.

Under the home detention curfew scheme, offenders are electronically tagged and freed up to three months before their sentence officially ended. If they leave home, they are returned to prison.

The scheme applies to prisoners serving between three months and four years, for such offences as theft, burglary and drug dealing. Figures obtained by The Independent reveal that 20,513 offenders were released under the scheme during 2002, an increase of 5,000 on the 15,513 let out the year before.

The Home Office insisted the expansion of the programme was primarily aimed at rehabilitating inmates more quickly. But a spokeswoman conceded: "I would not deny it will have an impact on the total prison population."

The number of inmates in England and Wales hit a record high of 73,091 this week, with just 500 spare spaces. It is projected to rise to 91,000 by 2006, far outstripping the available accommodation. The numbers increased by 2,000 over the past two months, after a dip at the beginning of 2003.

England and Wales jail more people than anywhere else in Western Europe, and have the European Union's highest imprisonment rate of 139 per 100,000 of population.

The home detention scheme is viewed as a great success by the Government. David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, extended the eligibility period from two to three months last year. Another option for easing the prison crowding crisis is to double the period to six months.

Hilary Benn, a Home Office minister, said yesterday that all policies were constantly under review, but denied there were any plans to change the curfew scheme.

Oliver Letwin, the shadow Home Secretary, said: "The Government is being forced to let increasing numbers of people out of prison early simply to deal with the overcrowding."

Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: "Building new prisons has proved no solution to prison overcrowding. In the last 10 years, 19 new prisons have been opened. Of these, 16 are overcrowded.

"Creating new prison places can be compared to adding a lane to the M25."

The Home Office launched an initiative yesterday to ease the crisis. Under the intensive control and change programme, offenders aged 18 to 20 attend a scheme to tackle their criminality and work unpaid in the community.

Officials hope the number of short sentences handed down to offenders will be halved in the five pilot areas. If successful, the scheme will be extended nationally in 2005-06.