The Government will pledge to send more foreign prisoners home, with ministers under pressure to act amid serious pressure on prison capacity.
Justice Secretary Alex Chalk has already signalled plans to send fewer “low-level offenders” to prison, as he prepares to set out a range of reforms covering England and Wales later on Monday.The announcement will also see plans to bring forward legislation that would allow prisoners to be held overseas, a move that the Government said follows steps taken by Belgium and Norway.
It comes amid serious concerns about overcrowding in British prisons, with 88,225 people currently incarcerated in England and Wales.The Ministry of Justice said that over 3,1000 foreign criminals have already been removed in the year to March, but 10,500 remain locked up in England and Wales.
Under new plans, foreign offenders will be removed sooner into their sentences with more caseworkers deployed to speed up removals.Currently, foreign criminals can be removed up to a year before the end of their sentence.
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