The first cohort of prisoners have been released from HMP Swansea as part of the new Labour government’s plan to ease overcrowding.

Figures requested by the Western Telegraph from the Prison Officer Association revealed that on Wednesday (September 11), 13 prisoners were given early release.

The association said that it was not yet known how many prisoners would be released early from Swansea Prison next month.

A spokesperson from the Ministry of Justice said that it was not possible to give a breakdown on where the 13 prisoners had originally resided.

The SDS40 early release scheme is a temporary measure introduced in response to prison population pressures inherited by the new government.

It says that it will be reviewed in 18 months and a ten-year strategy on prison supply will be published later this year.

Sentences of four years or more for serious violent offences, as well as sex offences will be automatically excluded from the SDS40 measures, as will offenders in prison for a range of domestic abuse connected crimes.

Offenders released under SDS40 will be managed by the Probation Service and the government says that release planning includes ensuring offenders are supported to find somewhere to live and in finding work.

Released prisoners will be ordered to wear electronic tags where required and exclusion zones and curfews will be imposed where appropriate. If an offender breaks any of the conditions imposed on them, they can be returned to prison immediately.

To meet the added demand, the Lord Chancellor has also set out plans to recruit over 1,000 additional trainee probation officers by March 2025.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said that if prisons ran out of space prisons would have an increased risk of riots, police would be unable to make arrests and courts would grind to a halt.

“This government inherited a justice system on the verge of collapse,” said the spokesperson. “The worst possible outcome for victims would have been to allow this to happen.

“Dangerous criminals would have walked the streets with impunity, knowing the police would not have been able to arrest them, because there would have been no prison cell waiting for them.

“We have been forced into taking difficult but necessary action, with safeguards in place, so we can keep locking up offenders and protect the public.

“Those released under this scheme will be subject to full probation supervision and will in many cases face tough restrictions such as tags, curfews and exclusion zones.”

The Western Telegraph has contacted Pembrokeshire County Council to ascertain if the authority has been asked to provide accommodation for any SDS40 released prisoners and is awaiting a response.