The law which means all prisoners have to be released half way through their sentence must be abolished, an MP has said.
Introduced by the last Labour government it does not take into account behaviour or re-offending risk, Shipley MP Philip Davies warned.
Speaking in Prime Minister’s Questions he urged Theresa May to reverse the decision.
He said: “In the teeth of opposition from the Conservative Party at the time the last Labour government changed the law to make sure all prisoners are released half way through their sentence irrespective of whether they had misbehaved in prison, or whether they still posed a threat to the public, something which must have contributed to the upsurge in violence in our prisons.
“This is an outrage and flies in the face of public opinion and must be reversed.”
Mr Davies has repeatedly called for prisoners to serve their full sentences handed down by judges.
Mrs May said: “I think the important point as he indicates is that when decisions are taken about prisoners there is proper consideration of the impact that the release will have on the wider community. This is an issue that has been looked at. I can assure him when I was Home Secretary this was an issue that was of concern. It is not just about the conditions under which prisoners are released it is actually about how we ensure we have measures in place to rehabilitate ex-offenders which is why the work that has been done by justice secretaries and the current one is so important to ensure we reduce reoffending by those prisoners who are released.”