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The prison population in England and Wales has reached a record high, exceeding 85,000 for the first time.There are currently 85,076 inmates, compared with 84,897 in March. If the rise continues at that rate, the total will surpass 85,700 by the end of June.
But there are still 2,000 places left in the "useable" capacity of 87,196.
The increase is likely to be partly due to the phasing out of the early release scheme, which allowed some inmates to be let out 18 days early until 9 April.
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