Only a fraction of victims have been officially notified about criminals being released early in recent weeks.

SNP ministers have been accused of having “woefully let down” victims of crime after only 10 were notified that prisoners were being released early in recent weeks.

The Scottish Conservatives have warned hundreds of victims of crime have been “left in the dark” by the Scottish Government's latest release of prisoners.

Hundreds of prisoners in Scotland have been released early. Picture: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

A Freedom of Information response received by the Scottish Conservatives shows that only 10 victims were notified under the Scottish Government’s flagship victim notification scheme about prisoners being released in recent weeks to ease pressure on overcrowded jails.

It was estimated that up to 390 prisoners could have been released under the latest tranche, meaning just 2.5 per cent of victims appear to have been made aware of an offender being released.

Shadow minister for victims and community safety Sharon Dowey has claimed the scheme remains “unfit for purpose.”

Ms Dowey said: “This flagship SNP scheme has woefully let down victims yet again.

“It is shameful that such a staggering number of victims were left in the dark while the SNP ploughed ahead and once again gave the green light to a mass early release of prisoners in recent weeks.”

She added: “Victims have been a total afterthought for soft-touch SNP ministers who have typically prioritised the needs of criminals instead.

“Their flagship Victim Notification Scheme is unfit for purpose. It should be as easy as possible for victims to sign up, and for them to be notified when dangerous criminals are being released, but SNP ministers have failed to fix these issues.

“Any planned changes to this scheme must finally show some common sense.

“SNP ministers must ensure that the Victim Notification Scheme always puts victims at its heart and guarantees they are fully aware of any offender being released, given that is their only plan to try and solve Scotland’s prison overcrowding crisis.”

MSPs agreed legislation in November that allowed short-term prisoners serving less than four years in prison to be released after serving 40 per cent of their sentence instead of the previous 50 per cent threshold - excluding criminals who have committed more serious crimes such as sexual crimes and domestic abuse.

It was estimated that between 260 and 390 inmates would be eligible for early release in 2025.

SNP Justice Secretary, Angela Constance, previously insisted that doing nothing to address chronic overcrowding issues would leave Scotland’s prisons in an “unsustainable position” .

Justice secretary Angela Constance Picture: Lisa Ferguson | Lisa Ferguson

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We recognise that changing the release point for short-term prisoners has the potential to raise questions and anyone who is signed up to the victim notification schemes will be notified about their case.

“We continue to work with victim support organisations to raise awareness of early release and victims’ rights to notification and have committed to publishing information within two months following the initial release of prisoners in three tranches, including how many victims were notified of release.”

'Woefully let down': Just 10 victims notified of SNP's early release of hundreds of prisoners