Cliff Notes
- Victims’ watchdog Baroness Newlove expresses serious concerns regarding the government’s changes to prisoner recall release policy, questioning the early release of certain sexual and violent offenders.
- The Justice Secretary’s announcement allows more offenders recalled for minor breaches to be released after 28 days, raising fears about public safety amidst an overcrowded prison system.
- Critics, including the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, warn that new measures could compromise the safety of victims, as many offenders may pose significant risks upon re-release.
Victim watchdog ‘struggling to understand’ prisoner recall policy change, Sky News learns | UK News
The watchdog representing victims is “genuinely struggling to understand” government changes to prisoner recall release policy, expressing concern for “victim and wider public safety.”
In a letter to the Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, shared exclusively with Sky News, Baroness Newlove has questioned why certain “sexual and violent” offenders have been “targeted for early release”.
The justice secretary on Wednesday announced that more criminals released from prison will only serve 28 more days in jail if they breach their licence conditions in an attempt to relieve pressure on overcrowded prisons.
On behalf of victims in England and Wales, Baroness Newlove raised a series of questions with the justice secretary, asking why criminals who may be deemed “an unacceptable risk to the public”, are being “re-released at a time when the probation service is already struggling to cope with the huge demands being placed upon it.”
In a hastily arranged news conference on Wednesday, the government announced the new measures for criminals who have been recalled to prison in England and Wales.