The plans were criticised by victims’ commissioner Baroness Newlove and domestic abuse commissioner Dame Nicole Jacobs,who said lives would be in danger as a result of the decision (Picture: Getty Images)
Sir Keir Starmer has defended plans to release some criminals on recall earlier to ease jail overcrowding,despite the domestic abuse commissioner warning the change will ‘put lives in danger’.
Under emergency measures announced on Wednesday,some recalled offenders serving sentences between one and four years will be returned to custody only for a fixed 28-day period.
Offenders are recalled to prison if they commit another offence or breach licence conditions,such as by missing probation appointments,when they are released early but remain on licence.
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the changes were necessary to curb overcrowding as she warned jails are on track to be down to ‘zero capacity’ by November.
The plans were criticised by victims’ commissioner Baroness Newlove and domestic abuse commissioner Dame Nicole Jacobs,who said lives would be in danger as a result of the decision.
Dame Nicole called for the proposal to be scrapped,saying: ‘I cannot stress (enough) the lack of consideration for victims’ safety and how many lives are being put in danger because of this proposed change.
‘You are not sent to prison for four years if you do not pose significant risk to your victim or the wider public.
‘Re-releasing them back into the community after 28 days is simply unacceptable.’
The prime minister told reporters on a visit to Albania on Thursday: ‘I don’t want to be put in this position but it’s been pushed to crisis point where we simply don’t have the prison places for the prison population we’ve got because of the gross negligence of the last government.
‘We are rectifying that at pace,which is why we’re now seeing prison builds.
‘But,as you’ll appreciate,you can’t build a prison in a matter of months.’
It is hoped the emergency measures will free up 1,400 prison places and ‘buy time’ before sentencing reforms are expected to take effect next spring.
The government has said prisoners jailed for domestic abuse and sexual offences will be exempt but admitted not all of these will be covered.
Baroness Newlove wrote to the Justice Secretary on Thursday to say she was ‘struggling to understand’ why this group of recalled offenders had been the focus of early release as she pressed for what safeguards will be in place for victims.
‘We are re-releasing a group of offenders assessed as high risk and with a track record of poor compliance,’ she wrote.
‘These high maintenance offenders are all being re-released at a time when the Probation Service is already struggling to cope with the huge demands being placed upon it.’
The Prime Minister has defended plans to release some criminals on recall earlier to ease jail overcrowding (Picture: Getty)
Ellie Butt,Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Refuge,said the move ‘is another disappointing reminder of how survivors’ safety is not a priority when decisions are being made’.
Calling for perpetrators of violence against women to be exempt,she said: ‘Domestic abuse is a pattern of coercion and control that is often perpetrated over many years.
‘While perpetrators may be released with licence conditions,including avoiding contact with survivors,they frequently breach conditions to continue their campaign of abuse.
‘Now,under new rules,if a perpetrator were to breach these conditions and be recalled to prison,they could be free to offend again in less than a month.
‘When so few perpetrators are recalled for breaching conditions,this represents a further weakening of protections for survivors.’
Isabelle Younane,Head of External Affairs at Women’s Aid said: ‘We’ve heard from member services about predatory perpetrators with a long history of domestic abuse being released early,only to reoffend within days.
‘The nature of domestic abuse means that the risk of repeat offending is high.
‘All steps need to be taken to ensure that women and children who are experiencing domestic abuse are not put at further risk of harm or re-traumatisation.’
Shabana Mahmood said the changes were necessary to curb overcrowding as she warned jails are on track to be down to ‘zero capacity’ by November (Picture: PA)
Ministers say the scheme will exclude people convicted of serious violent or sexual offences,as well as terrorist and national security crimes.
They will still be subject to standard term recall,which is for the remainder of their sentence or when the Parole Board decides they can be released earlier.
The exclusions will focus on offenders managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (Mappa) at Level 2 or 3,the PA news agency understands.
Mappa is used to manage certain sexual and violent offenders in the community,with only the most complex or high-risk individuals put at Level 2 or 3.
Announcing the emergency measure,Ms Mahmood said: ‘The consequences of failing to act are unthinkable,but they must be understood.
‘If our prisons overflow,courts cancel trials,police halt their arrests,crime goes unpunished and we reach a total breakdown of law and order.’
The latest weekly prison population in England and Wales was 88,087,434 below the last peak of 88,521 inmates on September 6,recorded just before the Government began freeing thousands of prisoners early as part of efforts to curb overcrowding.
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