Prison overcrowding: Influx of rioters could trigger emergency plan

Mark Fairhurst said he would not be “surprised” if the Justice Department announced sometime tomorrow morning that “Operation Early Dawn will begin sometime next week.”

During Operation Early Dawn, defendants were not allowed to leave police cells for sentencing unless it was confirmed that a prison bed was available for them.

Fairhurst warned that this would have “massive knock-on effects on the entire justice system” as police cells would be overwhelmed and officers would “no longer have the power to arrest and lock people up,” he said.

He said there were 397 new admissions last week, the “biggest influx” he had seen in some time, and that as of Friday there were only 340 spaces left in the gated community for adult men.

The pressure on the prison system is “really, really great,” he warned, adding that offenders may be sent hundreds of miles from home to serve their sentences in a prison with few places.

Justice Minister Shabana Mahmood announced plans to reduce the proportion of prison sentences that prisoners must serve behind bars from 50% to 40%.

This temporary move – which does not apply to people convicted of sexual offences, terrorism, domestic violence or certain violent crimes – is expected to lead to the release of 5,500 offenders in September and October.

Last Monday, the government confirmed that those involved in the recent unrest would not be exempt from plans to release some prisoners early.

MEPs have already approved the laws that will allow the plan to be implemented. Any changes to the legislation could require a short-term update if additional exemptions are to be included.

Operation Early Dawn was launched by the Conservative government in May to combat prison overcrowding.

The BBC has asked the Ministry of Justice for comment.