Ministers have implemented emergency steps to relieve jail overcrowding as more rioters are punished for their involvement in the recent disturbances.
As a result of the long-standing tactics, which are collectively referred to as Operation Early Dawn, defendants are permitted to be kept in police cells until prison beds become available. This may result in their court dates being postponed or rescheduled at minimal notice.
As a result of the activation of the system on Monday morning, certain offenders who are currently awaiting a court appearance in the northern region of England will be held in police cells until there is space available in prisons.
According to the administration’s statement, a move by the government to “tackle violent thuggery on our streets” has “exacerbated longstanding capacity issues in our prisons.”
The minister of prisons, James Timpson, issued the following statement: “We inherited a justice system that was in crisis and exposed to shocks.” As a consequence of this, we have been compelled to make decisions that are not only challenging but also essential in order to keep it operating.
Additionally, he stated that the emergency measures would assist in “managing the pressure that is felt in certain regions of the country.”
“We are working closely with partners in the criminal justice system to manage demand in the system and ensure that the public is safe,” said Nev Kemp, who is a member of the National Police Chiefs’ Council. The police will continue to make arrests of whomever they deem necessary in order to maintain public safety. This includes policing demonstrations and events and making certain that individuals are arrested in accordance with the anticipated number of arrests.
In a statement made on Sunday, the national chair of the Prison Officers’ Association, Mark Fairhurst, stated that the policy posed a risk of “clogging up police cells.” He also accused rioters of increasing the amount of strain being placed on jails.
During an interview with Broadcasting House on BBC Radio 4 on Sunday, Fairhurst stated, “Last week, we experienced the greatest number of new receptions that I’ve seen in quite some time.” The number of new receptions was 397. There were just 340 available spots in the adult closed male estate as of Friday, which is the area that is experiencing the biggest difficulties.
I would not be surprised if the Ministry of Justice made an announcement that Operation Early Dawn will begin to play at some point the following week, most likely beginning on Tuesday. This would be a possibility that I would not be surprised to hear.
It is highly probable that if you commit an offence in the north-east or the north-west, you will be transported to a location that is approximately 100 to 200 miles distant from your home in order to serve your sentence. This is due to the fact that there are simply very few spaces available.
For the purpose of managing immediate, localised strains on the prison estate, Operation Early Dawn is a contingency measure that has been utilised for extremely brief periods of time, often for no more than a week. In order to ensure that no one is taken to the courts until the Prison Service is able to guarantee a space for them in the event that they are remanded, it strengthens the coordination that exists between police stations, the Prison Service, and the courts.
Following concerns regarding the overcrowding of prisons, Operation Early Dawn was initiated in London and the north-east region of England in May. Subsequently, it was implemented throughout the entirety of England. Because of this, defendants who were in police custody remained there and were not moved to magistrates courts for bail hearings. This was done in the event that there was insufficient capacity in jail cells for individuals who had been remanded into custody.
Additionally, during the same month, the police were given the directive to evaluate the possibility of making fewer arrests due to the limited capacity available in prisons.
The Ministry of Justice said that the amount of violence and self-harm in prisons had reached “unacceptable” levels in the previous month. This was due to the fact that overcrowding had brought cells to the “point of collapse.”
Shabana Mahmood, the secretary of justice, has said that there are plans to reduce the percentage of the sentence that offenders are required to serve behind bars from fifty percent to forty percent. In the months of September and October, it is anticipated that 5,500 criminals will be released as a result of the temporary relocation, which does not apply to individuals who have been convicted of sexual offences, acts of terrorism, domestic violence, or certain serious transgressions.