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<p>On 4 April, we announced the End of Custody Temporary Release scheme. This scheme
enables risk-assessed prisoners, who are within two months of their release date,
to be temporarily released from custody, as part of the national approach to managing
public services during this challenging period. As of Friday 12 June, 113 offenders
have been released under this scheme.</p><p>Alongside the careful release of low-risk
offenders, we are also implementing our compartmentalisation strategy to manage different
cohorts of the prison population, working to expedite remand cases and temporarily
expanding the estate through the installation of single occupancy units. This is to
strike a balance between limiting the spread of COVID-19 in prisons while ensuring
the public is protected. We are providing ongoing monitoring of the scheme to assess
its effectiveness as one of a number of measures in place to reduce the impact of
COVID-19 in prisons.</p>
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