Prisons in England and Wales could run out of space, despite an early release scheme designed to ease overcrowding, after a record number of offenders were sent back to custody for breaching their release conditions. What’s happeningAround 70,000 offenders have been released early since the scheme began, but the prison estate remains close to full. In the most recent quarter on record, more offenders were recalled to prison than were released for the first time. The Ministry of Justice has reportedly warned that prisons could run out of capacity by November if the scheme were abandoned altogether. Both men could potentially be eligible for early release.