Prison recall rate after early release ‘very high’, says UK minister

Shabana Mahmood says she wants latest emergency release amid overcrowding in England and Wales jails to be the last

The justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has admitted the proportion of people released early from prison who are being recalled is “very high”, as the government prepares to free more inmates to relieve an overcrowding crisis.

Mahmood said figures would not yet be available for the number of prisoners who had been returned after the first wave of prison releases in September, but said it was likely they would be high.