Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Justice to detail any assessment her Department has made of the risks to public safety, arising from the early release of prisoners, in response to acute capacity pressures in the prison estate.
Minister of Justice: I have no plans to introduce the early release of prisoners in response to capacity pressures within the prison estate. Accordingly, I have not commissioned an assessment of the risks to public safety arising from such a measure.
Public protection remains my overriding priority and any proposal that could affect the release of prisoners would require careful consideration of its implications for public safety, victims and confidence in the justice system.
ENDS
