THOUSANDS of prisoners are to be released earlier than planned as the government attempts to avert a “collapse” of the prison system.

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood warned today that without immediate action to address overcrowding prisons would run out of space within weeks, leading to “a total breakdown of law and order.”

She said prisons were “on the point of collapse” with barely 700 places left in the adult male estate and jails operating at 99 per cent capacity since the start of 2023.