“The plan for today is to go to KFC": Released prisoners from HMP Leeds tell of plans

Prisoners thanked Prime Minister Andy Burnham as they celebrated walking free from jail early.

The first wave of releases began on Thursday, with 700 criminals expected to be freed across the country.

Released prisoner Jordan Laverack, 26, said outside HMP Leeds: “The plan for today its to go to KFC and after that I’m not sure.”

He said: “I think early release is good for myself. I can see why there’s a lot of attention behind it, because there might be people doing heinous crime who are getting released early. But for the average person, who’s missed probation like myself, I think it suits somebody like me.”

Mr Laverack said he served just under four weeks for missing probation appointments, but would not say why he was on probation, adding: “nothing too bad”.

He said: “I just want to get myself some work, some employment, make my family proud, maybe get a girlfriend, get married, you never know,” adding: “They’ve actually released me with nowhere to stay but I’ve got a few friends I can stay at. The people who don’t will be back doing what they’re doing.”

Asked about conditions in the jail, he said: “Prison is no good for anyone. It’s not clean, you can smell the toilet, the bed and mattress will make you itch. It’s not a good place.”

He said: “It’s quite crowded. It’s not great. But I wasn’t expecting a four-star hotel.”

Mr Laverack, from Leeds, said: “I’ve got my life ahead of me.” He said it was not his first time in prison but “hopefully my last”.

Early release prisoner Matthew Johnson, 35, also said he was “buzzing” to be out.

Leaving HMP Leeds he said: “It’s a good idea, to be fair. They need to free up some places anyway. It’s a bit cramped.

“The staff are overwhelmed anyway with what they’ve got to cope with at the minute.”

Father-of-five Mr Johnson, from Wakefield, said he was going to “go home and see my kids” after he was released after six months from an 18 month sentence for actual bodily harm.

Asked what he would say to opponents of the early release scheme, he said: “You want to see what’s inside these rooms, then you’ll know.

“It’s hectic. It’s crowded. It’s overcrowded – cells for one person with two people in them.”

The inmates are among thousands the Government says it has been forced to let out to free up space in overcrowded jails and stop the justice system from collapsing.

The number of prisoners behind bars in England and Wales has jumped by more than 1,700 in the past three months.

Former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and previous Tory administrations have presided over similar plans.

Nearly 5,000 prisoners are set to be freed in stages over the next year as the Sentencing Act 2026 comes into force.

Ministers intervened to exclude rapists and the most serious child sex offenders from early release following criticism of the policy over the summer.

The rules will also not apply to those guilty of manslaughter, such as the killers of Pc Andrew Harper who died in the line of duty in 2019.

But the law changes mean from now on, all eligible prisoners will spend less of their sentence behind bars.