Against a backdrop of violence and deaths behind bars, the number of people in prison due to be recalled is up 15% in a year (55 times greater than in 1993) according to the Howard League for Penal Reform. Thousands have been recalled to custody in recent months, putting additional pressure on prisons already struggling to cope with chronic overcrowding, prompting alarming statistics on safety and deep budget cuts. It follows the implementation of the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014, which enabled the part-privatisation of the probation service and extended licence conditions to people who had served prison sentences of less than 12 months. The Howard League argues that the possibility of recall to prison as a consequence of a breach of licence should be removed. New crimes can be dealt with separately and community penalties can be imposed for breaches of licence that do not amount to a criminal offence. The proposal would ease prison numbers and not require new legislation.