// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Early release scheme risks more serious crimes, probation chief warns
The chief inspector of probation for England and Wales has told the BBC the early release of thousands of prisoners could lead to "a serious sexual or violent offence or even murder" because of the demands on probation staff to monitor offenders.
The government is set to release 5,000 offenders from October as part of new laws to create more space in overcrowded prisons.
Probation officers supervise offenders after prison sentences and check they follow the terms of their release, such as sticking to curfews and not taking drugs.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said "protecting the public is our top priority", adding it had invested in probation and hiring trainee officers.
But Martin Jones, His Majesty's Chief Inspector of probation for England and Wales, told the BBC that "ultimately I'm not fully confident that the probation system will be able to cope with this massive work and there's a risk that things will go wrong".
"Probation services are already under unprecedented pressure.
"I mean, they're managing a caseload of 258,000 cases, that's nearly three times the number that are in our prisons, and obviously the early release scheme will be increasing that pressure considerably."
On Tuesday, 50 police chiefs signed a letter to the prime minister calling for greater consideration of victims when prisoners have their sentences altered, such as under the early release scheme.
The letter stated: "Families across the country are now facing the distress of learning that offenders may be released earlier than they understood when sentence was passed."
The police chiefs from Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland also urged Andy Burnham to pursue "every legal option" to prevent the early release of PC Andrew Harper's killers under the scheme.