Probation union Napo fears that the early prisoner release scheme is a ticking time bomb that could put public safety at risk.
The scheme originally initiated by the previous government will see 1700 prisoners released early today to ease overcrowding in prisons.
But Napo and its members fear that this is just moving the problem from one place to another without properly assessing the risks to probation staff and the general public.
The probation service is currently facing a crisis of its own. Chronic staff shortages, excessive workloads and poor morale have staff worried about how they will be able to supervise this influx of service users – particularly those who should not be eligible for the scheme but are somehow being released because they are serving concurrent sentences involving a lesser offence.
Napo General Secretary Ian Lawrence said: “Members have shared examples where those with both Domestic Violence offences and Sexual Offences have been released because of this. When this has been challenged members have been directed to HMPPS guidance which has stated that the early release is correct and cannot be challenged. Members are extremely disappointed that this has been denied during several media appearances by Government ministers and we have been challenging this in our media engagement. We call on the Government to correct the record.”
The announcement of the policy had already exponentially increased workloads for probation staff working in prisons and the community as they attempted to accelerate release plans, develop and strengthen risk management plans and find appropriate accommodation for those being released.
With workloads significantly higher, the ability of staff to address risk and support the transition of those being released will have a wider impact on the work that is already being undertaken.
“The Probation Service has been chronically underfunded for the past 14 years. At the same time hundreds of millions of pounds have been wasted on disastrous re-organisations including failed part-privatisation of the Service. Probation’s current location in the civil service and it’s position of being seen as an annex to the prison service only exacerbates these problems.
“Staff in the Probation Service do not feel that their work is valued or understood by those who make decisions at the highest levels of the Service.” Added Ian Lawrence.
Napo is calling for increased funding, workloads that enable risk management and rehabilitation and greater protection for staff who are scapegoated by ill thought out government policy. At this week’s TUC In Brighton, Napo National Chair Ben Cockburn called for a wholesale review into short term sentences to try and find a longer term solution into the capacity problems in Prisons.
ENDS