PRISONERS serving less than four months will be released early in a bid to ease overcrowding, the Scottish government has announced.

Justice Secretary Angela Constance told MSPs on Thursday that the release point for inmates will drop from 50 to 40 per cent of their sentence, an action expected to release between 260 and 390 prisoners.

The move mirrors similar actions by the British government and comes after the Scottish government’s emergency release of 500 prisoners earlier this year, but after a consultation long-term inmates will not be in scope. 

Ms Constance assured MSPs: “This proposal would come with statutory exclusions in relation to domestic abuse and sexual offences, recognising the particular concerns which will arise in relation to such offences.”

Offering a “cautious welcome,” Prison Offiers’ Association assistant general secretary Phil Fairlie said it “indicates to us that there is at least a recognition of the scale of the problem.”

A Scottish prison service spokesman said they “look forward to seeing the impact of the steps.”

He added: “We cannot continue to see numbers at their current level, or indeed even higher, without serious detriment to our staff and those in our care.”