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Around 700 prisoners have been released in the UK under a government programme aimed at addressing a shortage of prison places, The Telegraph reported.
According to the newspaper, 700 prisoners were released on 30 September, including people convicted of theft, violent offences and domestic abuse.
The report said all those released had spent fewer than 575 days behind bars and had served one-third of their sentences in prison.
According to Home Office figures, only 1,134 of the nearly 85,000 places in men’s prisons were available at the end of September.
The newspaper reported that around 4,500 prisoners would be released early over the next 10 months, with each successive group including prisoners serving longer sentences. The final group will include people sentenced to more than 12 years in prison.
Since 2024, British law enforcement authorities have been able to release offenders after they have served half their sentences because of prison overcrowding. Around 60,000 people have been released under the programme since then.
In addition, in 2025, the government instructed courts not to send offenders sentenced to less than a year to prison.
During the summer, British authorities suspended the expansion of the early release programme amid a scandal over the possible release of two people convicted of murdering a police officer in the country.