80,000 prisoners freed early in axed scheme

The early release scheme was scrapped earlier this year after the then-Justice Secretary Jack Straw branded it "inherently unsatisfactory".

More than 2,600 (3 per cent) of freed inmates have since been recalled to custody, with 1,234 of these accused of committing more than 1,600 further offences while on early release from prison, the Ministry of Justice figures showed.

Others were recalled after failing to live at an approved address or falling out of touch with the Probation Service.

The End of Custody Licence scheme, introduced in July 2007 to deal with chronic overcrowding in prisons in England and Wales, saw 81,578 inmates released up to 18 days before the halfway point of their sentence. The last remaining ECL prisoner went free on April 9.

Outlining plans to scrap the scheme in February, Mr Straw told MPs it was "potentially damaging to public confidence in justice".

More than a fifth of those released were convicted of violence while a further fifth were jailed for theft and handling.

The vast majority of those released under the scheme (56,249) had been handed sentences of six months or less.

Prisoners convicted of terrorism, serious violent and sexual offences were not eligible to be released under the scheme.