'He said he was not in favour of early release to deal with overcrowding'

No this man is in favour of early release as a standard part of sentencing as has been proved over the past few years with killers, rapists and burglars repeat offending whilst on early release.

David Thijm, Stourbridge, UK

Lets hope the CJS is just as levant on the Tony Martin's of this country, when the mindless get the idea theres little punishment for burglary! Would that lead to increase in murder, as an intruder could potentially fight to obtain than goal? Gary I support your idea, although the UK is not really big enough to consider a two tier society. Shame Australia's an independant country, if the UK could continue to export its problems, things might be different.

Dave, London, UK

If only one crime in twenty is solved and only one out of ten arrested are actually convicted. They only serve on average 50% of their sentence and now they are to be let out early.

How much does it cost the tax payer in policing and legal fees per day incarcerated?

The whole exercise of law and order is totally uneconomic and almost pointless.

Ray, Portbail, France

Decriminalise Marijuana and let the stoners go free!

Benjamin, London,

Having dealt with the home office a party in a brewery comes to mind - discuss this, pilot that, rehab them give the others a course... yawn yawn build more prisons, increase the length and severity of sentences and make the penalities for offending a big enough deterent.

stuart, london, london

This is yet another example of how this government has been treating the public like idiots for years. Let's just remember this at the next general election.

Douglas Turner, London,

This is potty. These types of criminals tie the police up for days as quite often they are prolific offenders. Yes they may not be violent. However They can account for massive amounts of crime. Individual burglars can cause spikes in crime in a locality.
All this will mean is that crime will go up, and the problem will be pushed back into the community. People will suffer because these individuals are back out practicing what they enjoy best. It will also stretch an over committed and under resourced police service. A great number of the type of person coming out cannot be reformed and will soon be back in front of the courts. Probation and tagging does not work
This government should build more prisons to cope. As a tax payer I have no problem with this. Increase the sentences for these so called lesser offences as a deterrent. The law abiding UK population have had enough of their lives being turned upside down by the type of person who will be released

Dave, Bristol, UK

It costs the public around £50,000 per year just to keep a
convict in prison, and thats without paying for re-offending
programs on their release. Currently there are not enough
prisons to house all the convicted criminals in the UK, leading to many dangerous criminals being allowed to continue causing misery and suffering in our communities. The figures in 2003 showed that 61 per cent of offenders were reconvicted within two years and the Home Office’s current projections, predicted that the total prison population could reach 91,000 by the end of next year. Thus in 2008 the prison service will cost the tax payer £4.5 BILLION a year. These costs could easily be offset by making re-offenders work during their prison sentences therefore
a) Offsetting some of the £50,000 a year spent on each prisoner b) Making use of 91,000 able bodied men and women
to improve the infrastructure of the country,
c) Making constructive use a convict’s time in prison,
d) Providing a real prison deterrent.

sam, birmingham,

too many arrests and convictions for silly reasons like speeding, driving through red light, not paying highly idiotic council tax on time and list goes on endlessly. just get those arrested and convicted who are real threat to public and govt and ease the space in the prisons. I hate the sight of cameras everywhere, police simply trotting around with no good to do. stop spending money on all this and try leaving people to live according to the conscience.
may be this will work

anuradha, london, uk

Early release makes a mockery of the justice system. The guilty are sent to prison because that is considered, by the judiciary, to be the correct sentence. Ministers send out an entirely wrong message to criminals, little wonder that a significant number are not deterred from further wrongdoing.

John Morgan, Wakefield, West Yorks

I think that it is ridiculous and absurd for the govt. not to make arrangements to deal with overcrowding problems. As a result of freeing these criminals early would create more crimes in the UK and will not deter other criminals. If it was Tony Blair or or Gordon Brown's house being burgled, etc. there would be issues. If the govt. can use taxpayers money to have olympics, why can't they utilise the tax payers money in more efficient way and create some security in the society. I definitely disagree with the proposed plan of releasing criminals before their term - just because the labour govt. can't get their acts together. why should people of UK suffer?

Kalpana Unadkat, London, UK

Deport the assylum seekers, who by being convicted have forfeited their right to this country's hospitality. Make the others clean up the cities, mend the roads and other useful jobs for the community. They would be too tired to abscond after a proper day's work.

CA, Manchester, UK

The government says more houses are required. So it builds more houses. The government says more airports are required, so it builds more airports. The government says more roads are required, so it builds more roads. The government says Britain's prisons are full. So it lets convicted prisoners out early. If David Blunkett famously said that he could see no natural limit to the number of asylum seekers or immigrants crowding into Britain from every corner of the globe, how come there is a de facto limit to the size of the prison population? Britain may well have the largest per capita prison population in Europe but I have also read that we are far from the top of the league when it comes to the ratio of guilty verdicts to custodial sentences. It is the fault of criminals that they are in prison and it the duty of an impartial judicial system to provide as many prison places as are required. It is a simple matter of consistency.

Howard Gleave, London,

I feel as a hardworking police officer this is a kick in the teeth to all officers who work damn hard to put these people behind bars. Build more prisons, create new jobs everyone is a winner.

Karl Brown, Durham, England

It is a monstrosity that this current Labour government has been unable to deal with the growing prison population, 1) when considering the promises made to tackle this phenomenon, and 2) when considering how much crime reduction and management legislation has been enacted. Public security is, as has always been, at the pinnacle of the political and social agenda in relation to crime issues, but provision for early releases would directly counteract such an intention. The liberation of burglars is questionable, fraudsters contentious, but of drug dealers irresponsible and unacceptable. The UK’s problems with drug dealers is well known. Questions also surround the risk-assessment and supervision procedures, in relation to how the former will be conducted, and whether the latter supervision will be adequate. Such measures seem to be the only options available for alleviating prison overcrowding - others include constructing many more such institutions or detention centres of some ilk.

Marcin Roth, London, UK

Please don't deport them to Australia!

DavidN, Melbourne, Australia

A lot of countries have 'Amnesty' - let's be open minded about this, if the prisoner was bad, I mean really bad, he wouldn't get let out....he would?

Ian Gibb, Ashtead, Surrey

Totally rtidiculous; sends out comletely the wrong message to society

Bill, horsham, west sussex

I would never agree with capital punishment, I would like to in extreme circumstances but I just can’t.

My reason? The government has to set an example to these people and by institutionalised killing of murderers and rapists, that makes the killing of other people acceptable in the eyes of society.

If you brutalise society, the citizens will in turn become more brutal and crime will go up. This is a fact, just look at America.

I do, however agree with chain gangs and heavy labour. It costs a tremendous amount of money to keep these people locked up. Add this to the financial and emotional cost of their crimes and they have a pretty large debt to society. Forced labour would give them a chance to at least pay back a small part of this debt, whilst they do something useful. It must be better than them just learning more tricks from their fellow inmates!

Oliver, Sheffield, S. Yorkshire

The early release of drug dealers must surely pave the way to the a more holistic approach to drug users. The dealers must be over the moon with this news. We must disempower the dealers by prescribing drugs and investing in rehabilitation. Buying the opium from farmers in Afghanistan (rather than destroying thier crop and alienating the farmers) would be a sensible move too.

Patrick Kane, London, London

new labour weak on crime weak on the causes of crime

john walsh, gosport, hampshire

Those in prison for 'minor' offences that are to released early (to return to their field of crime) could be channelled into work programmes to benefit local communities. Supervision would be a problem it is realised, especially with most of them changing their names more frequestly than they change their socks, but with an effective and efficient plan it could certainly work.

Derek Clifton, Andover, Hampshire, England

Mr Gary,

I strong disagree with you. They must worry about the conditions these people are being locked up. Otherwise they would have problem with human rights legislation.
I suggest make those guys work on shifts and go back to jail for sleep. If you have in prison 1000 heads and make them work on shifts you get reduce the pick population to 500 heads and in other hand will create a productive environment.
I am sure that early releases of criminals are not an effective way to solve this problem.

André Araujo

André Araujo de Oliveira, Vitoria, Brazil / ES

Bring back capital punishment for murderers, serial rapists and serial peodophiles - that should clear some space!

And why do we waste so much time and effort worrying about criminals being comfortable and not too crowded.

They opted out of society by becoming criminals so should lose their 'social' rights.
Chain gangs would get some use out of them and hard labour would be a punishment.

We're locking up more crooks which is good and then going soft afterwards!

Gary, Farnham, Surrey

To hell then with justice, public safety and punishment.
Let's just cut the budget, save money and let them out.

edwardingle, chesham,

As ever, this government is ' Duff on crime, duff on the causes of crime'

Rick, London, England

Simple solution, build more prisons. Don't worry about how many people we incarcerate - the cost is more than offset by the social and economic benefits.

Paul, Thornton, UK

Are the police expecting a spike in crime? LOL

Jerry Scroggin, Phoenix, Arizona/USA

I have two questions, if the levels of crime have dropped as the govt. claim, why has the prison poopulation risen so dramatically? Secondly, if the Govt. are considering releasing criminals who have committed so called lesser crimes that warrent a term of 4 years or less, would not the role of the Magistrates courts be made almost pointless? Far from helping, I fear this would actually encourage criminal behaviour, the so-called 'petty' criminal no longer worried about loss of liberty would feel more able to ply his trade on a public already sick of the govt.'s lack of ability to do anything about rising crime.
The answer seems to be plain. Build more prisons. Use the existing inmates of the penal system to help build them. It would provide them with a trade and enable them to become valued members of society on their release. The one thing this country is now short of is home grown skilled manual labour. Maybe education can play a part in rehabilitation after all.

Alan Boswell, Telford,

I am incensed at the stupidity of the government and the legal system. The government have always been lax when it comes to crime and this is just more proof, along with several high-profile repeat killings carried out by murderers on early release who were also 'risk assessed'!
These people must be kept in jail and finish their sentences. Early release increases crime.
We are repeatedly told the HRA has had no effect on crime and sentencing/ government actions, yet because of it we cannot deport 10,000 foreign criminals clogging up our cells. So which officials are telling lies? Which newspaper editors are allowing these lies to be flourish? The HRA is helping criminals. That is the public perception because it is reflected in government inaction.
Get rid of the foreign prisoners today. Put them on aeroplanes and deport them. Why is this perceived as some great problem? The solution would take a week. We can then leave our criminals where they belong.

David Thijm, Stourbridge, UK

I should like to know how many non-British prisoners are serving time in British prisons and what effect returning them to their country of orgin to serve out their sentence might have on the overcrowding.

Pat Thornton, Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria

This Government has once again- quite deliberately- failed the people, by refusing to build more jails over the years- a clear process of bowing to those on the lelt who regards criminals as victims of the state, to be pandered to rather than punished. Now we can see where this stupidity has got us.

Doug, Glasgow,

This bit of the article made me smile. "The plans have been outlined to Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, who are said by Whitehall sources to have recognised that the Government has run out of options for tackling the growing prison population."

Here's an option, BUILD. MORE. PRISONS. It's not rocket science.

Anthony, London, UK

It would appear that the Government of the U.K. have decided to again run up the white flag of surrender in its lackadaisical war on crime and criminality. "Burglars, fraudsters and drug dealers" are not petty criminals, and theirs have not been "victimless crimes". No, these criminals have victimized innocent people who never recoup the losses. Worse, these convicted criminals who have never been been made to recompense their victims and have therefore profited by their crime.

For the government to claim these felons will be "risk-assessed:" conjures up the tragic cases where released felons have soon been re-arrested. Worse, note that the government simply says that recividists would be "subject to recall". in other worse "might", "could", "perhaps" and all the other words that allow them NOT to re-imprison them. Why cannot the Government simply do the commonsense thing and build more cells to accomodate the growing population?

Bob Evans, Anaheim, California

That's how to do it. Encourage more hooligans to commit more crimes as they know they'll spend less time in jail and get let out soon enough. Don't you think it is about time Tony delivered what he said years ago about cleaning up the crime over the UK? Oh, that is not as nearly as important as letting down our families by sending boys to Iraq. Does Tony ever listen to what the people of the UK want and need? Not once. You couldn't pay me to live back in the UK now. Once an expat always an expat; the life outside is so much better.

Max Denyer-Green, New York, USA

It's a bit rich of wasteful politicians and civil servants to be carrying out this policy and citing that "public money is at stake" as the reason when so much of our money is wasted on so many more unimportant matters. I'd better check my house insurance policy. I wonder when No. 10 Downing Street was last broken into by a drug addict and burgled?

John Tomlinson, Brentwood, UK

I ask how are the Goverment going to stop these criminals from re offending, most will be apart of organised crime.

More missery for the people in our towns and cities. we will have to make our homes like Fort Knox to protect our normal everyday items from being stolen.

I would leave England if I had the money and leave it to the criminals.
I don't know many whom have not been effected by crime.

Peter, Hastings, UK

it is obvious that as anti-social behaviour & criminality in this country increases eery year then surely the simple answer is for more prisons to be built to house criminals. Its seems that by building more prisons the government would have to admit this increase & also the failure of it's crime & disorder initiatives. It is a very sad sign of the times that burglars, fraudsters & other criminals are to be released early from their punishment because of this. It also sends out the message that even if you do get caught, the rewards far outweigh the risks. Who says crime doesn't pay.

James, manchester, England

Perhaps meaningful and useful community service could be implemented for some of these 'minor' crimes, eg.
if they have committed a road crime, to assist in clearing up road accidents, something relevant to whatever crime they have committed.
Our streets and pavements are filthy, quite hazardous where they've been dug up and inadequately put back, etc. Most people could think of many things that these prisoners could do to learn from.

There are some crimes so abhorrent that I feel it is time to consider bringing back capital punishment. I know that they are human beings, but some appalling assaults, in my view, merit being considered for this.
The victims, as well as the ordinary person in the street, have human rights. The present system seems to only favour the perpetrator. Extreme, I know, but we have to start somewhere!

Celia Godwin, Eastleigh, Hampshire

Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime! That was the spin. In reality we got what we always get under Labour - incompetence.

Ubi, Edinburgh,

I know, let's build some more prisons. Can't think why no-one else has thought of that.

Edward Johns, Lannion, France