England and Wales are facing a severe prison overcrowding crisis, with the prison population nearing operational capacity at 87,479 inmates, just 1,383 below the limit. The most overcrowded facility, HMP Durham, is operating at 172% capacity, forcing inmates to share cells, as the system has fewer than 80,000 available cells. To alleviate the situation, the government has introduced an early release scheme allowing approximately 5,500 prisoners serving shorter sentences to be released early, including 1,700 on the program's first day. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood emphasized that this emergency measure was necessary to prevent a disaster, attributing the crisis to previous government failures. Meanwhile, prison inspections have highlighted deteriorating conditions, with rising violence, drug use, and inadequate rehabilitation efforts, calling for urgent reforms. The chief inspector of prisons has urged a broader discussion on sentencing and prison conditions to address these systemic issues.