Union leaders, a cross-party group of parliamentarians and the head of the Police Superintendents’ Association say piecemeal reviews cannot fix the problems facing prisons, probation and the courts.
A further policy reversal, objections from police chiefs and the Chief Inspector of Probation, and a governors’ warning about errors have left the early release plan in doubt.
The new Prime Minister has halted releases that were due to begin in September under the Sentencing Act 2026, prompting warnings of chaos from probation staff.
Justice Secretary Neil Gray has launched a consultation on changes to release points and short sentences. Scotland’s prisons hold 8,459 people against an operating capacity of 8,007.
Inspectors praised real incentives that drew remand prisoners into work and education at the 19th-century inner-city jail. Overcrowded cells, a thin weekend regime and releases without housing remained concerns.
The inspectorate's report on HMP & YOI Doncaster, published in January 2020, found five self-inflicted deaths in a year, easy access to drugs and around 700 men doubled up in cells built for one.
