An emergency plan to deal with overcrowding in Britain’s prisons is expected to be launched today in Britain amid a growing number of convictions for those involved in the recent riots.
Code-named Operation Early Dawn, it is a long-standing plan that allows defendants awaiting court appearances to be held in police cells until prison space becomes available.
But holding defendants pending court appearances in police cells, unless it is confirmed that a prison bed is available for them, can delay court dates. Prosecutors are trying to speed up the trials of people accused of taking part in the recent riots in parts of the UK, following a government order. 927 people have been arrested and 466 have already been charged.
Earlier, Mark Fairhurst, chairman of the Prison Service Association, told Sky News he expected Operation Early Dawn to start any time this week because there are not enough places in prisons.
However, despite the crisis, if someone needs to be put in prison, a place will be provided, Fairhurst commented.
To free up prison space, Justice Minister Shabana Mahmoud also plans to temporarily reduce the proportion of sentences that must be served before parole is possible from 50% to 40%.
However, this will not apply to those convicted of terrorism, sex crimes, domestic violence and certain other violent crimes.
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