SOME 700 prisoners across Wales and England have been released early under new rules introduced to prevent overcrowding in jails.

The first batch of an expected 4,500 inmates, including from the county's 276-capacity Usk and 230-capacity Prescoed jails, were released today (Thursday, October 1).

Those initially being set free are serving jail terms of 19 months or less, but later releases will include inmates jailed for up to 12 years for more serious offences.

The Westminster Government says action is needed as prisons are nearly filled to bursting, while released criminals will be subject to strict monitoring, including electronic tagging, and will be recalled for breaching their release terms.

Ministry of Justice figures prior to Thursday's release date showed 87,499 people were behind bars – 98.2 per cent of the capacity – up more than 25,000 on 30 years ago.

The Government is planning 10 scheduled sets of early release between now and June 2027.

Sir Keir Starmer's government passed the Sentencing Act so that offenders due to spend up to half of their sentences behind bars would leave after a third, while prisoners facing two-thirds would leave after half.

Incoming PM Andy Burnham later removed eligibility for those serving time for manslaughter, grooming offences and causing or allowing the death of a child.

The Conservative Government also oversaw the early release of more than 10,000 prisoners between October 2023 and September 2024.

Treasury minister James Murray told BBC Breakfast on Thursday: "I know the level of concern and maybe anger will be intense, and it's worth me making clear that this is not a situation where there is any good solution - there's just a series of very difficult choices we've got to take.

"The Government inherited a prison system on the brink."

On how they will be monitored, he added: "I can't guarantee exactly what will happen, but I can tell people we have done everything we can to reduce the amount of people being released as far possible."

The Government also says the probation service will be able to impose restriction zones on a prisoner’s movements.

But some probation and prison officers, pressure groups and victims have raised concerns, with the National Association of Probation Officers trade union warning the service was "significantly under-staffed" to monitor the extra workload.

"You cannot solve the prisons crisis unless probation is fully functioning and provides a real alternative to custody," a spokesperson said.

General Secretary of the Prison Officers Association, Steve Gillan, added: “There is no doubt in my mind that potentially individuals could be released in error due to the volume of work."

He also feared that victims of crime wouldn't be adequately protected, with a delay in tagging offenders on previous release schemes.

Usk Jail, which sits near the centre of the town on Maryport Street and dates back to 1842, is a Category C prison, while Prescoed some two miles west is a Category D open prison in a rural setting.