ALMOST 50,000 prisoners have been let out early by Labour, new figures show.
The Ministry of Justice admitted that 48,931 were freed earlier to tackle overcrowding in jails between September 10, 2024 and September 30, 2025.
They were let out 40 per cent of their way through their sentences under the emergency scheme.
It led to lags popping champagne corks in the street and dancing outside of jails in scenes of shame for the then Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood.
It will be replaced by a Texas-inspired “earned progression model” under the new Sentencing Act, where inmates can get out early with good behaviour.
It is expected to come into force in the autumn.
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New projections show that the population could still climb as high as 100,000 by 2032 despite the radical measures.
Without the Sentencing Bill the figure could get as high as 108,200, according to estimates.
At one point in 2024 there were fewer than 100 spare prison spaces across the whole country.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, said: “These figures are a stark reminder of the ticking time-bomb we inherited in our prison system, brought on by a legacy of neglect, with only 500 places added to the estate in 14 years.
“We have moved at speed to fix this and make our streets safer, as part of our Plan for Change. We’re overhauling sentencing and building thousands of prison places fast to protect the public and make sure there is always a cell for dangerous criminals.”
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