Thousands of dangerous foreign criminals face being deported early to ease overcrowding in prisons
THOUSANDS of dangerous foreign criminals face being deported early to ease overcrowding in prisons.
The inmates will be put on flights six months ahead of time to stop cell congestion, say ministers.
Justice Secretary Alex Chalk will boost the existing early removal scheme — potentially saving £70,000 per prisoner.
He will also put in place measures banning them from ever returning to the UK.
The action comes after it was revealed judges have been urged to delay sentencing offenders on bail due to the lack of prison space.
Mr Chalk said yesterday: “It is right that foreign criminals are punished but it cannot be right that some are sat in prison here costing taxpayers £47,000 a year when they could be deported.
“Instead of letting foreign nationals take up space in our prisons at vast expense to the law-abiding public, we will take action to get them out of the country.”
Foreign criminals in our jails cost the taxpayer around £500million a year.
The Ministry of Justice says more than 3,100 of them have been removed in the year to March, but 10,500 remain in prisons in England and Wales.
Under the current rules, the lags can be removed up to a year before their sentence ends — but this will now be brought forward by six months.
Deported foreign nationals will be “free” in their home country but not allowed back to the UK.
It comes after Mr Chalk had pitched his planned sentencing reforms for less serious offenders as “Texan-style” justice.
But Shadow Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “The only thing Texan about this government is that they’re running the country like cowboys.
“Thirteen years of reckless mismanagement of the criminal justice system has led to a crisis of epic proportions where they are now coming up with policy on the hoof.”