England and Wales started a second phase of early prisoner releases on October 13, with around 650 offenders leaving jail under a government plan to ease overcrowding.
The Ministry of Justice said the measure responds to prison capacity pressures, while released offenders will face monitoring conditions.
The latest group covers offenders serving sentences of up to two and a half years, released after serving one third of their term instead of half.
About 700 prisoners were freed in the first phase on October 1, according to the BBC.
The Guardian reported that around 2,000 offenders are due to leave prison during the month, with another 3,000 releases planned in stages over the following year.
The prison population in England and Wales stood at 87,499 on Monday, according to Ministry of Justice data cited by the Guardian.
Monitoring and Probation Investment
The Ministry of Justice said released offenders would be monitored through expanded electronic tagging and new restrictions for higher-risk individuals.
The department said it is also investing £700m in probation services, including recruitment of 1,300 additional officers.
The Ministry of Justice said, "We inherited a prison system on the brink of collapse.
If we had failed to act, the police would have been forced to halt arrests."
The department also outlined its approach to supervision after release.
The Ministry of Justice said, "We will never jeopardise public safety.
That is why we are putting thousands more Neighbourhood Police officers on to our streets, upping police funding to £18.5bn and taking investment in the probation service to record levels.
To manage offenders out on licence, we are rolling out the toughest-ever controls, including world-first restriction zones, the largest expansion of electronic tagging, and giving victims a say in licence conditions."
Probation union Napo raised concerns that the releases have increased pressure on staff responsible for supervising offenders in the community.
Members are preparing for a ballot on possible industrial action over pay and workloads.
Nacro chief executive Enver Solomon said, "The power to recall someone to prison plays an important role in protecting the public, but the current scale of recalls is neither sustainable nor effective.
Addressing the rise in recalls must be a central part of the Government’s response to the prison capacity crisis if places freed up through earlier releases are not going to be filled up again by people sent back to jail, many of whom have very chaotic lives.
To break the revolving door of custody those released need support to address their addiction and serious mental illness as well as stable accommodation so they can turn away from a life of crime and ensure communities are kept safe."
Greater Manchester Police confirmed eight men were arrested days after leaving prison in the first release phase.
The force said arrests involved breaches of criminal orders, suspected new offences and licence violations.
Greater Manchester Police Deputy Chief Constable Terry Wood described the force's preparation with partners.
Terry Wood said, "closely".
Wood added that enforcement action would continue when released offenders breached conditions.
Wood said, "robust plans are in place to ensure offenders are adhering to their conditions".
England and Wales release more inmates early as prison capacity pressures continue and probation services face workload concerns.
