On the early release of prisoners

30th July 2026 The political-media addiction to lengthy sentences, and its consequences * Perhaps the greatest problem with our prisons policy is that of addiction: the addiction of those in politics and the media to demanding lengthy sentences of imprisonment. Those in politics and the media cannot help themselves: every relevant news event means they have to shout louder for “tougher” punishments and shout down those who say or act otherwise. But there are at least two further problems which flow from this problem. First, and more urgent, is that of capacity: we simply do not have the capacity to imprison all those whom those in politics and media want imprisoned. Second is a deeper social and cultural problem: imprisonment for reasons other than public protection or for the most serious of crimes is not a public good. As I once set out in an article at the Financial Times: “Here is a thought-experiment: imagine that you have asked some mischievous demon to conceive the most…