Prisons watchdog: ‘Risky’ offenders amongst inmates to be launched early

Labour’s decision to free thousands of prisoners early to ease jail overcrowding will result in ‘risky’ offenders being released, the prisons watchdog has warned.

Charlie Taylor also said that plans to release 2,000 inmates next week after serving just 40 per cent of their sentences would lead to an ‘inevitable’ increase in homelessness and knock-on risk of re-offending.

The prison population in England and Wales hit a record high this year, with some 88,350 people in jail at the end of August – the highest number ever recorded. 

And the overcrowding, coupled with a need to find spaces for those jailed after the Southport race riots, led Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood to order the early release programme.

Last night an investigation by Channel 4 News suggested sex offenders and other violent criminals will be among them.

And Mr Taylor, HM Inspector of Prisons, told The Times: ‘Inevitably, prisoners will go out homeless, will have nowhere to live and therefore will get very quickly breached and will find themselves back in custody very quickly, and it’s hard to know how much there will be of that.’

He added: ‘So the prison service, to some extent, are doing what they can. But probation services in the community are very limited, and there is a worry that some risky people will come out without proper accommodation, and without having the right levels of preparation done for their release within the community.’

Charlie Taylor said that plans to release 2,000 inmates next week after serving just 40 per cent of their sentences would lead to an ‘inevitable’ increase in homelessness

Sex offenders and other violent criminals will be released from prison under the Government’s early release scheme, probation service whistleblowers warned yesterday

Overcrowding, coupled with a need to find spaces for those jailed after the Southport race riots, led Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood to order the early release programme

In July, Ms Mahmood announced plans to cut the proportion of the sentence inmates must serve from 50 per cent to 40 per cent, as the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said violence and self-harm behind bars had risen to ‘unacceptable’ levels as overcrowding pushed jails to the ‘point of collapse’.

The temporary move – which was said to not apply to those convicted of sex offences, terrorism, domestic abuse or some violent offences – is expected to result in 5,500 offenders being released in September and October.

The SDS40 scheme is due to begin next week and will be reviewed after 18 months.

The Government has said those who are released will serve the rest of their sentence under strict licensing conditions.

But according to Channel 4 News, some prisoners serving consecutive sentences where the end date takes into account a sentence for a less serious offence would qualify for SDS40 and be released sooner than was set at the point of conviction.

This would in turn reduce the time available to plan for them returning to the community.

The programme said sources had come forward with serious concerns over public protection, citing a ‘loophole’ in the policy, as one representative from Napo – the trade union for probation staff – called the proposals ‘a roll of the dice’.

One case included a prisoner set to be released four months early after serving a long sentence for serious sexual offences.

He would reportedly qualify for SDS40 because he has served the duration of the sentences imposed for the sexual offences and has a shorter consecutive sentence for a less serious offence which the prison has identified under SDS40.

This means he can leave prison within weeks, despite his victims expecting he would remain there until next year.