Prisoners early release scheme extended indefinitely, leaked documents show

Published

9 months ago

February 25, 2024

admin

A scheme to allow prisoners to be released early because of a lack of space has been extended indefinitely, Sky News can reveal.

Ministers have also expanded the number of jails letting out prisoners before the end of their sentence, according to leaked documents.

Originally, the early release scheme – known as the End of Custody Supervised Licence (ECSL) – applied to 21 jails, but has since been “updated” to apply in others.

The scheme, outlined in October, allowed prisoners to be released up to 18 days before the end of their sentence to reduce an “acute and exceptional demand” on prison places.

Guidance to prisons obtained by Sky News reveals the scheme has now been “activated for an undefined period”.

Officials insist this does not mean the scheme is permanent but have been unable to supply a date of when the ECSL will end.

They deny this marks a fixed alteration to the way they will manage prisons in the future.

The changes could allow more people found guilty of domestic abuse related crimes, among others, to be released early.

Those guilty of more serious offences, serving sentences of more than four years, are not eligible for early release.

‘Activated for an undefined period’

When introduced by the government, ministers stressed the ECSL was “temporary”.

But leaked documents of government guidance sent to prison and probation staff now says their scheme has been “revised”.

An “urgent contingency” scheme which is “now activated for an undefined period” has been “updated to facilitate/ support activation in new prisons”, the guidance says.

Senior staff have been given escalation criteria to consider blocking inmates from early release. But the documents stress escalation should only be in exceptional circumstances.

The documents say: “As a general principle ECSL is an urgent contingency scheme to create essential prison capacity and, therefore, it is critical that it operates quickly to generate the required releases. Escalations to Capacity Gold to consider a delayed release should be exceptional.”

The change has caused anxiety in the prison and probation service, prompting fears that some prisoners may be released with sped up risk management processes or wrongly released early.

A source close to the scheme told Sky News: “The biggest practitioner concern is that it’s front-loading a load more work onto practitioners who are already massively over capacity.

“The problem with that is that’s when things get missed or things aren’t given the attention they need.”

An early release scheme was used under a Labour government in 2007. The party is now calling for the government to be transparent about the terms this time around.

“This is extraordinarily damning – the Conservative government cannot continue to extend and expand indefinitely what is supposed to be a temporary scheme with zero transparency,” Shabana Mahmood, the shadow justice secretary, told Sky News.

“It is not a surprise to me given the scale of the government’s prison crisis that they have extended this scheme, but at the very least – they should acknowledge the public have a right to know about the details of this scheme, and Parliament has a right to know.”

But there are serious concerns about overcrowding in prisons, and some welcome the need for this scheme.

As of figures published on Friday, 87,973 people are currently behind bars in England and Wales.

The number of people that can be held in “safe and decent accommodation” in prison, known as the “certified normal accommodation”, or “uncrowded capacity” is considered by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to be 79,507.

That means the current overall system is at 110.6% capacity, or overcrowded.

‘Vital to reduce pressure on overcrowded prisons’

Andrew Neilson, director of campaigns at the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “We welcome the early release scheme the government has announced, as it is vital that pressure on overcrowded prisons is reduced as a matter of priority.

“It is unfortunate that the government has not acted more quickly to head off this crisis in capacity with sensible policy measures, but we welcome any move to reduce prison numbers and ensure that prisons can be safe and purposeful places where people can get support to move away from crime.”

The government claims that eligible offenders are only let out a matter of days early, face strict supervision and are subject to monitoring conditions, including wearing GPS tags, being subject to curfews, exclusion zones.

They can be recalled to prison at any point for breaching these requirements.

Despite claims the scheme is limited, the MoJ has not given details about how many prisoners have been released under the scheme.

A spokesperson for the MoJ said: “The terms of the End of Custody Supervised Licence scheme have not changed since it was announced in October.

“It is temporary and only used to relieve pressure in prisons where necessary. Only offenders who are a matter of days away from release are being considered and anyone convicted of a sexual, terrorist or serious violent offence is excluded, with those who break the rules facing a return to jail.”

UK

‘We need help’: Workers say shoplifting is ‘out of control’ as brazen thefts explode

Published

5 hours ago

November 20, 2024

admin

'We need help': Workers say shoplifting is 'out of control' as brazen thefts explode

A woman casually walks into a convenience store and starts filling a bread crate with goods from one of the aisles.

A shop assistant tries to stop her, but she shrugs him off, undeterred. With the crate now full of items, she leaves without paying.

It is a scenario that is played out day in and day out across Britain, as retailers warn the surge in shoplifting is now “out of control”.

I’m sitting in the security office of a busy city centre shop and I’m watching as a schoolboy walks in and helps himself to a sandwich, stuffing it into his jacket.

Watching with me is shop worker Anton Mavroianu who positions himself by the main entrance waiting for the youngster to leave.

When the boy does leave, Anton demands the item back. Instead of being frozen with fear that he’s been caught, the boy laughs and walks off.

“All we can do is try to stop them,” Anton tells me. “But this is just another day for us.”

A few weeks earlier, when Anton tried to stop a shoplifter who had stolen from the store, the man pulled out a knife and tried to attack him.

This terrifying incident is an example of the very real threat posed to shop workers as they try to stem the tide of brazen thefts.

Shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales have risen to the highest level in 20 years.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) also reports that theft-related losses cost the retail sector millions each year, adding strain to an industry already grappling with post-pandemic recovery and economic uncertainty.

For small businesses, which lack the resources of larger chains, persistent theft can threaten their very survival.

Ricky Dougall owns a chain of convenience stores and says shoplifting cost his business around £100,000 last year.

“Shoplifting is a huge problem and it is what stops us from growing the business.

“People come in and help themselves like they own the place and when you call the police, most of the time, they don’t turn up.”

Mr Dougall says part of the problem is how this type of crime is classified.

Sentencing guidelines for thefts of under £200, so-called “low level shoplifting”, were relaxed in 2016. That is being blamed for the surge in cases.

An exclusive Sky News and Association of Convenience Stores survey shows that 80% of shopkeepers surveyed had an incident of retail crime in the past week.

The poll also found 94% of shopkeepers say that in their experience, shoplifting has got worse over the last year, with 83% not confident that the police will take action against the perpetrators of retail crime on their premises.

Paul Cheema from the Association of Convenience Stores says retailers are looking to Government to support them.

“I would say officials do not give a s*** about us retailers,” he tells me. “The losses are too big and I don’t think we can sustain that anymore.

“I would urge Keir Starmer to come and meet us and see up close the challenges that we are facing.”

Retailers have responded by investing heavily in security measures, from advanced surveillance systems to hiring more security staff.

But these investments come at a cost, often passed down to consumers through higher prices.

I get chatting to Matt Roberts, head of retail in the store I am in. He worries about shoplifting, but he worries about the staff more.

“I would imagine they dread coming to work because they’re always on tenterhooks wondering whether something is going to happen today, whether they are going to have to try and confront someone.

“It’s a horrible feeling. It’s out of control and we need help.”

The government has acknowledged the urgency of the issue. Home Secretary-led discussions with retail associations and law enforcement are underway to craft a comprehensive strategy.

In the King’s Speech, the government outlined details of a Crime and Policing Bill, which promised to “introduce stronger measures to tackle low level shoplifting”, as well as introducing a separate offence for assaulting a shop worker.

UK

Two-thirds of teens living with fear of violence, charity warns

Published

5 hours ago

November 20, 2024

admin

Two-thirds of teens living with fear of violence, charity warns

Children do not feel safe, a charity has warned, as a survey finds two-thirds of teens in England and Wales have a fear of violence.

The charity, which surveyed 10,000 children aged 13-17, found that 20% of teenagers have been victims of violence in the past 12 months.

“I think what shocked me most is how this is a problem that affects all of our children,” said Jon Yates, CEO of the Youth Endowment Fund.

“We found that two-thirds of all teenage children are afraid. And that fear is pretty real for a lot of them.”

He said it’s a fear so palpable that many teenage children are changing their patterns of behaviour, or have had it influence their daily decisions.

One third of teenage children – 33% – reported avoiding areas, whilst around 27% alter their travel routes or avoid public transport altogether to stay safe.

More worryingly, however, some say the fear of violence has led to mental health challenges, with 22% reporting difficulties sleeping, reduced appetite and concentrating in school.

Weapon carrying is also a concern for the charity, especially among vulnerable groups.

In England and Wales, 5% of all 13-17 year olds reported carrying a weapon in the past year, but that figure jumps to 21% for those suspended from school and 36% for children who have been excluded from school.

But Mr Yates said “shockingly” only 12% of children who repeatedly commit violence get any sort of support.

“That’s madness,” he said.

Jay*, 23, from Birmingham said depending on your environment, sometimes violence is hard to avoid.

“I’ve had friends be shot, I’ve got friends who have been stabbed, I had a friend die last month to be fair,” Jay told Sky News.

He said it is “damaging” because you never really get the opportunity to “heal”. He is now being supported by the charity Project Lifeline, but says before then it was difficult to find any hope.

“If you don’t have hope,” Jay added, “you can’t really get anywhere. It’s about finding that hope.”

Mark Rodney, CEO of Lifeline Project, mentors at-risk young children and said he has learned that “not only the perpetrator carries the knife, the victim sometimes carries the knife”.

“And not only the perpetrator does the killing,” he added. “The victim sometimes does the killing, because that’s where we’re at.”

He said far too many families ask themselves “is my child safe going to school or coming home from school?” and adds the government must “actually start addressing people’s concerns”.

The report also found that in 93% of cases where teenage children repeatedly harm others, adults intervene with punishments such as school discipline or police involvement.

However, only 12% of these children are offered support aimed at addressing the root causes of violence and preventing further harm.

Mr Yates said: “They go to school, they do something violent. They get excluded.”

He added: “We need to be much better at saying, ‘we’re not going to lose that child. We’re going to keep providing support to them. We’re going to keep providing a mentor’.

“Instead, we let them fall through the cracks”.

A government spokesperson said: “Halving knife crime in a decade is a clear mission this government has set out.

“It is vital to protect vulnerable young people who are too often the victims or perpetrators of this crime.”

*names have been changed