Prison reforms in the United Kingdom

As part of reforms aimed at addressing severe overcrowding in United Kingdom prisons, it is suggested that foreign prisoners may receive shorter sentences than their British counterparts. According to a report by The Daily Telegraph, these changes could mean, for example, that a Polish prisoner and a British prisoner who committed the same crime could see the Polish prisoner released 18 months early and deported to their home country. In this scenario, the individual would not be required to serve time in Poland, but would be banned from returning to the United Kingdom.

However, a committee from the House of Lords and senior judges opposing these proposed changes have stated that these plans carry the risk of "reducing the deterrent effect" for foreign criminals committing crimes in the United Kingdom.

The committee also criticizes the government for its inability to calculate how many foreign prisoners will be released early and how much prison space will be freed up.

The committee further criticized the government for failing to calculate how many foreign nationals would be released early and how many prison spaces would be opened up. Prisoners previously had the right to early release up to one year, and the Ministry of Justice believes that extending this period to 18 months will affect an additional 300 prisoners.

Among those identified for deportation is Koci Selamaj, the murderer of teacher Sabina Nessa, who was sentenced to at least 36 years in prison. The Independent has repeatedly highlighted the overcrowding crisis facing British prisons, noting that prisoners are kept cramped in cells for up to 23 hours a day.

A report recently published by the newspaper revealed that because the system has reached a breaking point, criminals could be released from prison early or exempted from prison sentences. Justice Secretary Alex Chalk also promised at the Conservative Party conference in October to send criminals abroad to alleviate the overcrowding crisis. However, the government's own assessment of this idea showed that it would cost at least 200 million pounds (approximately 7 billion TL) and would not be realized until 2026.

Commenting on the deportation plans, Chalk said: “It is right that foreign national offenders are punished, but it cannot be right to keep them in prison when we could deport some of them, costing taxpayers 47,000 pounds (approximately 1 million TL) a year. Instead of allowing foreign nationals to take up space in our prisons at great cost to the law-abiding public, we will take action to remove them from the country and ensure they never return.”

Other plans under consideration include serving sentences of under 12 months in the community rather than in prison and an 18-day early release bill.