The great escape! Prison population drops by 2,188 in a week after Keir Starmers early release scheme - so how full is YOUR local jail now?

The adult prison population dropped by more than 2,000 in the week that the Government freed hundreds of inmates early, official figures revealed today.

Some 86,333 prisoners were behind bars in England and Wales today, according to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) - down 2,188 on the 88,521 at the end of last week.

One week ago the number of inmates being held hit another new record high amid the jail overcrowding crisis, indicating the population fell by 2 per cent in seven days.

The Government said about 1,750 prisoners were freed early on Tuesday from jails across the two nations, suggesting a further 438 also left under standard release.

The drop means the operational capacity for English and Welsh men and womens prisons is 89,552, indicating there is now cell space for 3,219 criminals.

Inmate Stuart Bennett dances in the street after being released from HMP Leeds on Tuesday

People spray a man with sparkling wine after he walked out of HMP Nottingham  on Tuesday

Ex-Hollywood actor Jason Hoganson, 53, who was let out of HM Prison Durham on Tuesday, has 109 previous convictions and was most recently jailed last month for domestic violence

Separate figures also published today illustrated how almost every prison in England and Wales only had a handful of spaces free at the end of last month.

Some were completely full or even over-capacity, according to MoJ data recorded on August 30.

Leyhill category D jail in Gloucestershire had a population of 460 which was the same size as its operational capacity.

And category C prison The Verne in Dorset reported a population of 610 while its capacity was 608.

An additional 1,350 cell spaces tend to always be kept free above the overall operational capacity of the prison estate in England and Wales as a contingency measure.

This is intended so jails can cope with a sudden influx of inmates or change in the make-up of the prison population, according to the MoJ.

An MoJ spokeswoman told MailOnline today: The new Government inherited prisons on the point of collapse. If that had happened, courts would have ground to a halt and police would have been unable to make arrests.

This is a short-term measure to address the immediate crisis but is only the first step to rebuild our justice system, which must include building new prisons and reducing reoffending.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer defended freeing criminals - including some convicted killers - early from prison as he angrily blamed previous government inaction for forcing him into taking urgent steps to tackle the problem.

This weeks mass exodus marked the policy - announced by Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood in July - coming into force and sees the proportion of sentences which some inmates must serve behind bars temporarily cut from 50 per cent to 40 per cent amid Government warnings jails were being pushed to the point of collapse.

Pictures emerged of an inmate being sprayed with bubbly by friends at the prison gates as they were released while ministers faced accusations that serious career criminals were among those walking free when the policy was launched.

Criminals serving prison sentences of less than four years for violent offences, including manslaughter, are among those eligible to be freed under the scheme.

Among those pictured walking free were fallen Hollywood actor Jason Hoganson, who was released early from serving an 18-month jail sentence at HMP Durham after reportedly beating his ex-girlfriend in the street. 

According to court reports, Hoganson - who had a leading role in 1987 film Empire State - was sentenced after admitting assault by beating and breach of a restraining order and has accumulated 109 convictions after turning to drink and drugs.

On Wednesday it emerged Lawson Natty, 19, who was jailed for 32 months in March after being cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter, is eligible for the early release scheme and could leave prison within weeks.

This is because only prisoners convicted of manslaughter who have been sentenced to more than four years in jail are excluded from the early release scheme. Murderers are not eligible as they have to serve mandatory life sentences.

Natty was among a group of teenagers who ended up in court after the death of 14-year-old Gordon Gault, who was stabbed in the arm with a machete in Newcastle in 2022 amid violence between two rival gangs stoked by drill music. Natty supplied the weapon used in the attack after buying it online.

He faces deportation when his time in prison comes to an end, meaning he could then be moved to an immigration detention centre and held there while he awaits his removal from the country.

The Home Office said it is committed to deporting foreign criminals at the earliest opportunity but would not confirm whether this will happen to Natty as the department does not comment on individual cases.

If he is not taken from prison to detention, this may mean he could be released on licence. Even while held in detention, there are some circumstances in which he could be granted immigration bail.

Others due to be released under the scheme include Adam Andrews, who was jailed for three years after being convicted of grievous bodily harm without intent for reportedly shaking a baby so violently he was left blind, paralysed and now needs round-the-clock care. He is eligible to be freed early because his sentence for a violent offence involves a prison term of less than four years.

Despite Government efforts to prevent domestic abusers from leaving prison early, the restrictions will not apply to all criminals with a history of such violence as the policy only excludes particular offences such as stalking.

Attackers convicted of other crimes such as threats to kill or actual bodily harm could still qualify for early release.

Rioters involved in this summers unrest are also not specifically excluded from early release. They will only stay behind bars for longer if they are serving more than four years for a violent offence.

But terrorists and sex offenders are excluded and will not be freed early.

The MoJ said 93 per cent of manslaughter sentences handed down in 2022 and 2023 were longer than four years. 

Prisons watchdog Charlie Taylor warned it was inevitable some prisoners released early would reoffend and end up back behind bars under the risky scheme.

MPs were told some of the prisoners who find themselves homeless on release could be temporarily placed in taxpayer-funded budget hotels if there is not enough space in bail hostels and other community accommodation typically used for offenders.

The Government said it will review the changes after 18 months.

Yesterday, the House of Lords heard during a debate on challenges on prison capacities that foreign national prisoners would be closer to home in cells in Estonia.

Conservative peer Lord Farmer also said that moving prisoners from British jails to Estonia would give us more space.

There have been reports that the Government is investigating the possibility of sending some inmates to prisons in Estonia to increase capacity in the short term.

Last year the then justice secretary Alex Chalk said he was in discussions with other European countries about the possibility of renting prison cells for British offenders as a way to ease overcrowding.

Lord Farmer has produced two reviews for the MoJ on the importance of families and other relationships to prisoners rehabilitation.

Tareen Shakil hugs his mother as he leaves prison in Birmingham on Tuesday, six weeks early after serving half of a four-year sentence for drug related offences

Newly released convicted thief and shoplifter Connor Charlesworth, 24, from Chesterfield, stole £480 of jewellery from his girlfriends grandparents when he was house-sitting for them 

Ben Griffin, who was jailed for assault and assault on a police officer, pumps his fists as he celebrates being released early from HMP Nottingham on Tuesday

People released from HMP Pentonville in North London on Tuesday as prisoners get out early 

He told the House of Lords: Successful rehabilitation reduces pressure on prison places. My two reviews for the MOJ, which they continue to implement with dedication and enthusiasm, emphasise that healthy relationships greatly reduce reoffending, as those who receive family visits are 39 per cent less likely to reoffend than those who dont have them.

HMPPS (HM Prison & Probation Service) are very mindful of closeness to family when selecting which prisoners to send abroad.

28 per cent of foreign national prisoners are either Romanian, Polish or Albanian, and would be closer to home in Estonia than in British jails, and give us more space.

Many prisoners without family on the outside or friends to help them go straight benefit from well supervised peer support in prison, and those relationships protect against repeat offending.

Justice minister Lord Timpson said: The plan to rent prison places in Estonia was explored by the previous Government, but is not something we intend to implement.

Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Burt said she moved to call the debate on overcrowding to address the sorry mess in the prison service.

She said: Today, the number of prisoners is double what it was over 20 years ago, and the average length of sentence has doubled.

You dont have to be a statistical genius to work out that theres some kind of causal connection here.

Baroness Burt raised the rise in self-harm and assault on prisons which, combined with overcrowding, mean that theres not enough space or resources to make a prisoners experience rehabilitative or even safe.

She said: Overcrowding makes everything so much worse. Prison officers have to deal with a highly inflammatory situation.

Trying to keep prisoners and themselves safe, preoccupies most of their time, and rehabilitation sometimes goes out of the window. No wonder recidivism gets worse.

We also know that we cannot build our way out of an overcrowding problem.

The MoJs own forecasts say the prison population will grow to 94,000 and over 114,000 in the next four years alone.

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield said overcrowding was not conducive to a transformative culture for people in prison.

He said: Every person supported to turn away from offending makes our country safer for everyone, but truly effective rehabilitation almost always takes place in a context of care and trust, and it surely goes without saying that overcrowding in prisons is not conducive to a transformative culture.

He added: Those working in prisons rightly expect to be protected from harm and to carry out their duties with dignity.

Current overcrowding has made a difficult role immensely challenging. Hidden from public view, prison staff work in conditions in their place of employment that few of us can appreciate or would tolerate, prisons must be safe for staff if a culture of respect and trust is to be built.

Justice minister Lord Timpson said: Overcrowded prisons are dangerous places adding that he has never known things as bad as they were when this Government took office.

On his plans for reform, he said: I am hoping to be here for a long time and I think it will take a long time.

On Wednesday, Sir Keir Starmer lashed out at former prime minister Rishi Sunak in the Commons, repeating claims he had no choice but to cut the amount of time prisoners would serve behind bars amid urgent efforts to tackle the jail overcrowding crisis.

His comments were in response to accusations from Reform UKs leader that Sir Keir was presiding over a two-tier justice system.

Nigel Farage described some extraordinary celebratory scenes outside Britains prisons, where in some cases serious career criminals were released after pictures emerged of an inmate being sprayed with bubbly by friends as they left jail.

At Prime Ministers Questions, he added: This to make way for, yes, rioters, but equally those who have said unpleasant things on Facebook and elsewhere on social media.

Does the Prime Minister understand there is a growing feeling of anger in this country that we are living through two-tier policing and a two-tier justice system?

Sir Keir hit back, telling MPs: Im angry to be put in a position of having to release people who should be in prison because the last government broke the prison system.

The prime minister was repeatedly warned that he had to adopt the scheme that we put in place.

Referring to reports on Mr Chalks pleas to enact the scheme when in post, he said the former justice secretary said if we dont do it we will have to get down on our knees and pray.

Police chiefs also made it absolutely clear to Mr Sunak before the election that he needed to take action, he said - in reference to a letter police chiefs sent him in June urging him to put the plan in motion immediately as prison overcrowding was hampering officers ability to do their jobs.

Thats how bad it was. He (Mr Sunak) delayed and increased the risks, Sir Keir added.