LONG-TERM prisoners could be released after serving two-thirds of their sentence under SNP Scottish government plans to manage the ballooning prison population.

An emergency release of 500 individuals is already underway to manage overcrowding, but justice secretary Angela Constance has now opened a consultation on proposals to revert to the two-thirds policy ditched by her party in 2016 in favour of blanket six-month early release under licence. 

The urgency to tackle overcrowding comes amid concerns it may be behind an 8 per cent rise in reconviction rates on the latest (2020-21) figures, bucking a long-term trend of a 29.6 per cent fall over the previous decade.

Launching the proposals, Ms Constance said: “We are considering these measures to find a better balance between the time spent in custody and time supervised in the community, particularly following the recent increase in the prison population when Scotland already has one of the highest in Western Europe.

“Public safety will be paramount. Release under licence conditions means strict community supervision and specific support in place informed by robust individual risk assessments of prisoners.”

The consultation is due to close on August 19.