The third phase of the government’s early release programme has begun in England and Wales. According to the BBC, the first prisoners in the latest group began leaving custody on Tuesday 10 November. Around 650 people fall within this phase, though that does not mean all have already been released.
The BBC reports that this group covers prisoners serving sentences of up to three years and two months. Under the programme’s rules, eligible prisoners can leave custody after serving no more than a third of their sentence, rather than half. Release does not mean their sentence has ended: the remainder is served in the community, subject to conditions.
At least 1,350 people have been released early since 1 October under the programme’s first two phases. The BBC cites officials’ forecast that the total will reach at least 2,500 by the end of the year. That figure is a projection, not the number released so far.
Who is excluded, and how are prisoners supervised after release?
The programme excludes people convicted of more than 70 categories of offence, including rape, sexual offences, grooming and manslaughter. Prisoners serving life sentences are also excluded.
After release, prisoners remain under the supervision of the probation service, which monitors people serving sentences in the community. Release conditions can include bans on contacting victims or entering particular areas. According to the BBC’s account, electronic tagging and other monitoring conditions are generally intended to apply during the second third of the sentence.
The releases have prompted concerns about victims’ safety and the capacity of the services supervising prisoners. Refuge, which supports people experiencing domestic abuse, told the BBC that domestic abuse perpetrators were among those being released. The probation union Napo had previously warned that the programme was putting enormous pressure on probation staff.
It is too early to assess the programme’s impact. According to the BBC, the government has not yet published figures showing the proportion of participants recalled to prison for breaching their release conditions. Overall recall statistics therefore do not show how this particular programme is working.
