Prison population falls to its lowest level since 2011

THE number of prisoners in England and Wales has fallen to its lowest level in seven years.

There are now 82, 94 inmates compared to 82,991 in January 2011, official figures show.

The prison population has come under scrutiny after violence and self-harm in jails reached record levels. The fall in numbers is due to more prisoners being released early in a drive by the Ministry of Justice to ease overcrowding and reduce pressure on violent and drug-ridden prisons.

The number of inmates freed under the home detention curfew scheme, which allows them to be released with an electronic tag, has soared from 2,19 in January to 3,304 – a rise of 50 per cent.

Prisons and probation chiefs were issued with new instructions after it emerged that tens of thousands of eligible offenders – including those serving sentences for violence, robbery and burglary – were missing out.

Despite fears that the public could be put at risk, governors were told to review cases of prisoners refused release.

Inmates serving between three months and four years qualify for early release between two weeks and 120 days before their sentence ends after being risk-assessed.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: ‘We want to see the prison population come down, but public safety is paramount and we will not set an arbitrary target to reduce it.’