England and Wales are holding about 86,500 inmates, roughly 5,000 more than the system can safely accommodate, according to the Ministry of Justice.

Overcrowding has been a long-running issue across administrations—from Cameron to Truss and Sunak—and continues under Starmer.

The podcast features former prison governor Judith Feline explaining the crowding factors, while Peter Walker outlines why early-release policy has become a major political and logistical hurdle for Burnham.

The episode analyzes what’s driving persistent prison overcrowding, the policy levers that could alleviate it, and the political friction surrounding early release as a space-saving tool.

Keir Starmer’s government enacted a policy to release an additional 5,000 prisoners early, with some eligible after just a third of their sentences, set to take effect from September.

New prime minister Andy Burnham has made it a priority to curb early release, saying he will block certain offenders from the scheme and push back its full rollout to October.