Grinning criminals are among the 650 lags freed yesterday in the early release scheme.
Jake Sharp, 19, who was jailed for multiple offences, made gun signs as he made his way out.
He said being from Holme House jail in Teesside was “f***ing spot on”.
Sharp, from Stockton-on-Tees, was jailed after threatening to kill and strangling a woman.
Among others celebrating was convicted drug dealer Isa Salim, 19, who thanked the Prime Minister while carrying a bag containing a teddy bear made behind bars for his mum.
Salim, who was jailed for three years in May for drug dealing and possessing a knife in , was delighted to be out.
Asked if he had a message for the , he replied: “Nice one, thank you”.
He added: “I’ve done 13 months in there and it’s horrible.
“I don’t want to go back.”
Salim was remanded in custody in October 2025 after spotted him on an electric off-road bike carrying out drug deals.
Lags also celebrated as they were freed in places such as Birmingham, Durham and Wandsworth, south London.
In total, 5,000 are being freed in stages.
say it is “an insult to victims”.
The Ministry of Justice claimed it inherited a jail places crisis, adding: “If we had failed to act, the police would have been forced to halt arrests.”
