Read our Privacy noticeAlmost 50,000 prisoners have been granted early release from jails across England and Wales under a government scheme designed to ease overcrowding. Some 14,381 of prisoners released early (29.4%) were serving sentences of six months or under, with a further 6,989 (14.3%) serving sentences of between six and 12 months. The current scheme for the early release of prisoners replaced a separate scheme introduced by the previous Conservative government. Under this separate process, 13,325 prisoners in England and Wales were freed early between October 17 2023 and September 9 2024. The proportion of the total prison population who are foreign nationals is unchanged year on year, at 12.1%.