LONDON, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- An overnight release program in Britain to ease prison overcrowding puts the public at risk from repeat offenders, critics said.
Some convicted killers, rapists and other prisoners are being allowed as many as 100 overnight "holidays" from their cells through a program offered to inmates nearing the end of their sentences, The Daily Telegraph reported Monday.
The program helps reintegrate prisoners into the community, though some of them have committed serious crimes during their overnight release, The Telegraph reported.
The program makes the public feel unsafe, said Lyn Costello, of Mothers Against Murder and Aggression.
"If you get two years, you should serve two years. If you get 10 years
you should serve 10 years, not have a little holiday break in between," Costello told The Telegraph.
The number of overnight releases rose from 3,813 in 2006 to 11,599 last year, Ministry of Justice figures showed.
