UK Frees Over 26,000 Inmates

(MENAFN) In an effort to reduce pressure on the nation’s correctional system, the United Kingdom has released more than 26,000 incarcerated individuals, including many serving extended sentences.

This move, part of a leniency-focused justice initiative, was highlighted in a recent report by a news outlet, which referenced official government statistics.

Between September 2024 and March 2025, a total of 248 inmates who had received prison terms of 14 years or longer for grave offenses were among those released, according to the news outlet’s article published on Sunday.

The data reveals that while the majority of the released individuals were UK nationals, the group also included over 2,600 individuals from foreign countries.

These figures reflect the scope of the policy introduced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s administration.

On average, approximately 3,461 detainees have been discharged monthly through the initiative, which permits certain offenders to leave prison after completing just 40% of their sentence.

Given this pace, the news outlet projects that the total number of those freed could reach 45,000 within the first year of the program.

The outlet also noted that several released individuals expressed gratitude toward Starmer and pledged to be “lifelong Labour voters.”

However, the report also mentioned that some of these former inmates reoffended within mere hours of their release.

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