UK deputy PM Lammy says early release of sex offenders necessary to avert prison collapse

David Lammy has said that releasing prisoners including sex offenders early is necessary to prevent the collapse of the criminal justice system due to prison capacity.

• Without the scheme, jails in England and Wales could run at nearly 100% capacity by November, Lammy said.
• More than 5,000 prisoners, including killers, rapists, and sex offenders, will be freed early from September, serving half their sentences.
• Lammy said opponents of the scheme have offered "no solutions" to the immediate capacity crisis.
• Former Home Secretary Amber Rudd, appointed to lead a review into prison drugs and violence, said she will draw on prison systems in Spain and Scandinavia.