Prisons disaster may change into ‘homelessness disaster’, ministers warned

A lack of support for early released inmates could mean “the prisons crisis becomes a homelessness crisis”, ministers are warned.

Former chief inspector of prisons Nick Hardwick told the Mirror he is “really worried” about ex-prisoners on the streets winding up back in jail. And Pia Sinha, chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, the charity that now-Prisons Minister James Timpson was chair, said the benefits of releasing inmates early to ease overcrowding could be undone if they end up being recalled to custody.

Plans to free prisoners serving less than four years after as little as 40% of their sentence come into effect on Tuesday as spaces in male jails dwindle below 100. But concerns have been raised about pressures on services monitoring prisoners’ release plans, from the probation service to local support agencies.

Keir Starmer faces calls to prioritise funding for rehabilitation services ahead of next month’s Budget, which he has warned would be “painful”. Mr Hardwick said “it’s really important that they spend the money wisely” and urged the Government not to use its “limited choices” to pump more money into prison expansion.

“I would spend the money on making sure that the people who are in prison are less likely to come back,” he said. “So rather than doing more supply at prison places, I would do more work to reduce demand. I think that’s better for society, and in the end, it’ll cost less.”

According to the most recent official stats, each prison place costs £51,724 to the taxpayer. The prison population could hit 100,000 within the next four years, official projections show, effectively meaning costs could hit £5billion.

Campaigners warn that without better support for released prisoners, dire reoffending rates will continue to see criminals trapped in a vicious cycle of being released and then going back to jail. Homelessness, drug use, mental health issues and illiteracy are all areas experts say need targeting to help freed prisoners get their life back on track.

Speaking about homelessness, Mr Hardwick said: “It’s a really important part of the whole rehabilitation process to make sure people have got somewhere of their own that feels like home. When people feel like they’ve got a stake in the community, that they’ve got something to lose and they don’t want trouble in their area, that’s what reduces reoffending. It’s about security.”

He added: “The other problem, if you haven’t got your own to live, what happens is, well your dodgy mate who you got into trouble with in the first place will let you come and stay with them.” Mr Harwick urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to consider giving funding directly to local authorities to help with the rehousing of released inmates.

Ms Sinha said it would be a “grave mistake” if the only lesson the Government took from decades over prison expansion was to spend more money on building jails. “We already know the solutions to avert a similar crisis in future—prioritise the things that work to reduce re-offending and address the drivers of crime,” she said.

“This means investment to support people out of homelessness; increasing access to community mental health support and treatment for addiction; and supporting people into work. With the early release scheme, there is a risk that the prison crisis becomes a homelessness crisis. We’re worried about it as people are likely to be recalled if they don’t have stable accommodation. There is a danger that unless pragmatic support is provided to address homelessness, the benefits of an early release scheme diminish due to a high recall rate.”

A Government spokesman said: “The new Government inherited a justice system in crisis and levels of homelessness that are far too high, and is having to make tough decisions to get a grip of these issues. The Lord Chancellor announced she was scrapping the old early release scheme in July to replace it with a system which gives probation staff more time to prepare for a prisoner’s release, including plans for their accommodation.

“We’re also working with partners including local councils and charities to grip this situation and avoid prisoners being released onto the streets, while we develop a long-term strategy to put us back on track to ending homelessness.”