As it stands, if a prisoner has an automatic release date which falls on a Saturday, Sunday or Bank Holiday, then their release is brought forward to the Friday prior to. On the surface, this is a good method to ensure that prisoners do not serve any more time than they have been sentenced to, however, there are a number of issues which arise when a prisoner is released on a Friday.
For example, a most public services in Loughborough are closed at the weekend (and bank holidays), which leads to great difficulty for prisoners to access these services when released, especially as, in the best case scenario of being released in the morning, they would still have less than 8 hours to secure their place to live, food to eat and begin thinking about how they are going to earn more money than their current two weeks of benefit which they are given upon release.
Granted, some prisoners have families, or good friends to return to who will help them to become well rehabilitated. However, there are a number of people in prison who do not have that. In fact, they may be there, in part, due to their involvement with people who live in their local area. If they are released on a Friday, with all of these pressures, there is a real worry that they may be forced to seek refuge with them, with the choice being between that, and homelessness.
Naturally, this leads to a risk of reoffending, and the figures for this are stark. 30% of adults and 27% of juveniles who reoffend do so within 3 months, perhaps after failing to be able to secure housing or a job and having to turn back to crime. Furthermore, ex-offenders have a much lower rate of employment: with releases in 2011/12 17% of ex-offenders were in P45 of employment one year after release.
In that same year, I was calling for the reform of prisoner release dates, calling for a reform of prisoners being released on a Friday. As the chair of the 2010 to 2011 reducing re-offending scrutiny panel for Charnwood Borough Council, I looked at patterns of reoffending and what could be implemented to reduce this. I heard evidence from a number of witnesses who attended the panels which really changed my opinion on prisons and why it was important to help people from reoffending in the future. Of course, I firmly believe that if someone has committed a crime that warrants a term in prison, then this sentence should be served. However, as they leave prison, they certainly should have the chance to change their lives for the better. One important outcome of this was making representations to the local MPs in the Charnwood area on the subject of Friday releases for prisoners.
Now, 11 years on, I was very pleased to be able to speak in the debate for the ‘Offenders (Day of Release from Detention) Bill’ which aims to stop prisoners being released on a Friday and that they will instead be released on a Thursday, allowing them at least 24 hours to access services which can help them with a better rehabilitation, which serves the dual purpose of ensuring ex-offenders lives are easier post-custody, but ultimately also will help to reduce reoffending, which costs the tax payer a significant amount.
Analysis of the economic and social costs of reoffending, which were based on a cohort of offenders identified in 2016 who subsequently went on to reoffend over a 12 month follow-up period, showed the total estimated social and economic cost of reoffending was £18.1 billion, a huge figure, which is why I am supporting this bill and the work which it will do to reduce reoffending, which I know is important to residents of Loughborough.
Tackling crime and anti-social behaviour is a part of my 6-point plan for Loughborough. Reducing crime and making people in Loughborough feel safe is something which is at the forefront of my agenda, because I know it matters to residents so much. So, I welcome this bill and the work that it will do to reduce re-offending and I hope to see an impact in Loughborough.
As ever, if you have a concern or would like to contact me, you can do so by telephone, email or post.
Jane Hunt MP
