Concerns as some prisoners released 70 days early from today
The 'End of Custody Supervised Licence Scheme' has now been extended
Last updated 23rd May 2024
Some prisoners could be let of jail 70 days early from today, up from the 60 days announced in March.
The Ministry of Justice inmates will still be supervised - and likely get tags and curfews - as they look to ease prison overcrowding, with prison staff able to block any release they have concerns over.
Andrea Coomber from charity and research group the Howard League for Penal Reform worries some inmates are already being let out without enough support in place - and things could get worse.
She said: "I was in a prison a few weeks ago where somebody had been recalled to prison and their father was returning the tent that they had been released with to give back to the prison - so they could give the tent to somebody new
"I know at certain prisons they're told to not go far and to set up camp in a field nearby
"We're expecting prison officers and prison staff, who are already overwhelmed, to get release and resettlement plans in place for people 70 days earlier than they were expecting to do that. It means that invariably there are going to be mistakes made."
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "While we will always ensure there is enough capacity to keep dangerous offenders behind bars, this scheme allows us to ease short-term pressures on prisons following the impact of the pandemic by moving some offenders at the end of their custodial term on to licence.
“These offenders will continue to be supervised under the strict conditions such as tagging and curfews, and the prison service can block the earlier release of any individual who poses a heightened risk.”
The spokesperson added that anyone convicted of a sexual, terrorist or serious violent offence are automatically excluded from the scheme, which remains under review and 'would work with prisons and probation leaders to make further adjustments as required'.
Yesterday - before the election was called - shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the Government has "catastrophically failed to manage the criminal justice system or build the basic prison places promise".
The Labour frontbencher told the House of Commons: "The minister's response is just shocking, telling people they've never had it so good, faced with the crisis in the criminal justice system, I think that shows just how out of touch he is."
Home Office minister Chris Philp had earlier said, in response to an urgent question related to a National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) letter about pausing "non-priority" arrests: "I'm delighted to have the opportunity to talk about public safety, to talk about the record number of police officers we have in this country - 3,000 more than we had under the last Labour government - delighted to talk about the fact that according to the crime survey, crime is less than half today what it was under the last Labour government."
Ms Cooper made reference to the End of Custody Supervised Licence (ECSL) scheme which comes into force today which allows some prisoners to be freed up to 70 days early, and said: "You've got early release massively expanded starting tomorrow, including domestic abusers, and now this serious impact on public safety with Operation Early Dawn, telling (the) prisoner escort service just not to collect prisoners from police stations to take them to court because there aren't enough places, and police forces having to pick up the pieces instead, the NPCC saying in its letter in the strongest terms - this is unsustainable and risks public safety."
To calls of "stop shouting" from opposition members, Mr Philp said: "Well the honourable lady likes to pontificate in an animated fashion but the fact is, according to the crime survey, crime has halved since the government she was a part of left office.
"She feigns indignation about the (ECSL) - she forgot to mention under the last Labour government it ran for three years."
A Home Office minister has said there have been "no delays to arrests" following a letter from the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) to chief constables urging them to consider pausing "non-priority arrests", as reported in The Times.
Chris Philp told the House of Commons that he had spoken with Leicestershire Chief Constable Rob Nixon, the NPCC criminal justice lead, "in the last half an hour".
He said: "He has confirmed to me that the contingencies referred to in the letter were not required. He said the contingencies were not required because the prison place situation in practice did not merit it. He said (there are) no delays to arrests that he is aware of, and he has said that while a small number of people were conveyed to court in police cars and there were a small number of delays to arrival at court, no one who should have got to court in fact did not do so.
"So, I am delighted to confirm to the House, the contingencies referenced in the letter in fact did not materialise and the short-term fluctuation referenced in the letter will be over tomorrow."