Concern over plan to release 1,200 prisoners

Plans to release 1,200 prisoners over the next three years to tackle chronic overcrowding are putting the financial crisis and criminals before innocent people, a victims’ group has warned.

Advic, which represents families of murder victims, made the claim after Alan Shatter, the justice minister, announced the 2012-15 prison service reform plans.

Under the move, 400 inmates serving sentences of between one and eightyears will be freed every 12 months on temporary release, the equivalent of one almost every 20 hours.