An emergency plan to avoid overcrowding in jails could be triggered in the coming days as more rioters are sentenced, according to the Prison Officers’ Association.
Operation Early Dawn is a long-standing plan that allows defendants waiting for a court appearance to be kept in police cells until prison space is available.
However, it could mean court dates are delayed or adjourned at short notice.
Prosecutors have been trying to fast-track cases of people accused of involvement in the recent riots in parts of the UK, with 927 people arrested and 466 of those charged by last Monday.
Mark Fairhurst, chairman of the Prison Officers’ Association, believes an announcement about Early Dawn could come as early as Monday.
He cautioned it could lead to “clogging up police cells” with less space for officers to accommodate new arrests.
“This is all a result of the rioters,” he told BBC Radio 4.
“Last week, we had the biggest influx of new receptions I’ve seen for quite some time.”
(L-R) David Wilkinson and John Honey were jailed for their roles in the riots. Pic: PA
He added: “We had 397 new receptions. As of Friday, we only had 340 spaces left in the adult closed male estate which is feeling the most pressure.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if at some point tomorrow morning (Monday) the Ministry of Justice would announce that Operation Early Dawn kicks in to play at some point next week, probably Tuesday onwards.”
Mr Fairhurst said the North East and North West were under particular pressure and offenders there faced being “carted 100, 200 miles away from home” to serve their sentence.
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The Ministry of Justice said last month that violence and self-harm in prisons was at “unacceptable” levels with overcrowding pushing some to the “point of collapse”.
A scathing inspection of HMP Wandsworth in southwest London also revealed “chaos” and “appalling conditions”, stemming from “poor leadership at every level”.
To free up space, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood also plans to temporarily cut the proportion of a sentence that must be served before parole is possible from 50% to 40%.
It’s expected to mean 5,500 people being released in September and October.
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It won’t apply to those convicted of terrorism, sex offences, domestic abuse and some violent offences. The government confirmed people involved in the riots also won’t be eligible.
Operation Early Dawn was last used in May by the previous government, again to try to ease overcrowding.
The Law Society warned at the time that cases could be delayed and solicitors were unlikely to know if their clients’ cases would definitely be heard until they arrived at court.