High-risk offenders included in early release scheme, prisons inspector says

Domestic abuser among those freed from jail as part of plan to relieve overcrowding, watchdog reveals

High-risk offenders including a domestic abuser who posed a risk to children have been freed from jail under the government’s early release scheme, a watchdog has revealed.

Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons, said the Ministry of Justice’s plan to relieve the pressure in overcrowded jails raised “serious concerns” and had undermined safety and risk management.

The disclosure comes amid accusations that the justice secretary, Alex Chalk, has broken a pledge that the scheme would only apply to “low-level offenders”.