// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Early release: What's happening with prisoners in Scotland?
Glasgow's Barlinnie prison has been described as severely overcrowded
The fury over the potential early release in England of the two teenagers who killed PC Andrew Harper has focused public attention on prison overcrowding in a way that hasn't happened in Scotland.
The Scottish government has ventured into similarly contentious territory as it tries to find a long-term solution to Scotland's record-breaking prison population.
But the absence of such a controversial case has largely kept the story out of the headlines.
The key proposal from the SNP administration is to bring forward the automatic release point for hundreds of people convicted of offences including rape and culpable homicide - Scotland's version of manslaughter.
Even if those plans are implemented, many Scottish criminals will still have to serve a greater proportion of their sentence behind bars than those convicted of the same offence in England and Wales.
That doesn't necessarily mean Scotland is tougher on crime than England and Wales. Down south, prison sentences for the most serious crimes are often longer.
This issue is playing out differently on both sides of the border.
Since 2024, tens of thousands of inmates have been let out early to create more space in England's prisons.
From the start of next month, the Sentencing Act passed by Sir Keir Starmer's government will see some prisoners let out after serving a third of their sentence.