Probation officers have offered tents to people leaving prison with nowhere to live, GB News reports, citing an investigation by The Telegraph. Around 100 tents are said to have been handed out over the past year, with officers asking charities for tents to pass on.
The report comes as the government's early release scheme frees prisoners after as little as a third of their sentence, with about 1,350 released this month. Figures cited by the outlet show the number of former prisoners sleeping rough after release has risen from 6,040 in 2022/23 to 14,360, and that nearly 16 per cent of inmates now leave custody without a home.
The findings sit awkwardly with Prime Minister Andy Burnham's pledge to cut rough sleeping and offer everyone a route off the streets by Christmas.
Source: GB News
