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- A new law to significantly reduce prison sentences moves closer to the statute book on Friday
- The bill to reduce recidivism ends a race against the clock to gain vital support before the end of the week
- Hundreds of crimes will be prevented to increase public safety
Around 1 in 3 prisoners leave prison on a Friday – giving them just a few hours to find a bed for the night, register with a GP and sign up for job support before services close for the weekend.
This race against the clock can leave ex-offenders homeless and without support, increasing their chances of committing further crimes.
This is especially true for ex-offenders with substance abuse problems, mental health issues, or real risk of homelessness. Ex-offenders with safe housing are about 50% less likely to return to a life of crime.
Offenders (Release Day) Under the Private Members’ Bill, which passes second reading today, offenders with mental health problems, substance abuse problems or traveling away from home will be released on Wednesday or Thursday instead of Friday. , following strict security checks.
The bill was brought forward by Simon Fell MP and builds on the Government’s Promise Prison Strategy White Paper published in December last year.
Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Dominic Raab said:
Protecting the public is my highest priority and we know that access to housing, job support and substance abuse services is critical to helping ex-offenders stay on the straight and narrow.
By ending Friday release for certain inmates we will reduce recidivism and reduce crime, making our communities safer.
Prisons Minister Damian Hinds said:
Ending Friday release for inmates at risk of reoffending is a common-sense change that will ultimately result in less crime and fewer victims.
This is just the latest way in which we will reduce the £18 billion cost of re-offending, alongside tougher supervision, better education and drug treatment.
The Government has already made significant progress in tackling stubborn reoffending rates, which have fallen over the past 10 years from 30.9% in 2009/10 to 25.6% in 2019/20.
The Prison Strategy White Paper also outlines a comprehensive reform package to release offenders, tackle substance misuse problems and build 20,000 modern places to reduce crime and keep the public safe.
This includes strengthening links between prisons and employers and ensuring that prisoners can find work on release through a dedicated Prisoner Education Service to raise literacy, numeracy, skills and qualification levels.
Necro chief executive Campbell Robb said:
Our campaign to end Friday prison releases was driven by the experience of our service users and our staff, and we’re really pleased to see this small, but significant change one step closer to becoming law. For far too long, Friday releases have been setting people up to fail.
Through this legislation, people with high rehabilitation needs will get that vital extra time during the working week to access the services they need – including housing security, registering with a GP, meeting probation and health services. This will give people a better chance at a second chance and will play a role in helping to reduce re-offending.
Along with this, the prisons have also enacted strict new security measures that have foiled more than 20,000 plots to smuggle drugs, phones and weapons into the prisons in the last 2 years. The Department will invest £75 million a year in expanding the use of alcohol monitoring tags by 2024/25 and £780 million in treatment for offenders addicted to alcohol or drugs.
Notes to editors
- Early release will also apply to prisoners due to release before the bank holiday
- The final decision will rest with the governors, who will have the discretion to agree to an earlier release date.
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