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Charities concerned about early release of long-term prisoners Victim support charities have raised concerns over plans for long-term prisoners to be released after serving two thirds of their sentence. The Scottish Government has been dealing with a rising prison population with a programme of early release under way for more than 500 inmates. Charities supporting victims have raised “grave concerns” about a lack of risk assessment and exclusions for sexual offences and domestic abuse. They have called for the guidelines to be “strengthened” and to include a governor’s veto. The charities are worried about victim safety, confidence in the justice system, and the lack of mechanism to ensure safety planning for victims. They believe that short-term approaches are not the answer to the overcrowded prison estate. The public has been urged to contribute to a consultation on the proposed changes. Stay ahead of the latest news and trends impacting the Scottish legal industry ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ey_umsfK Josh Carmichael #ScotsLaw #Law #Legal #VictimSupport

New Early Release Scheme Raises Concerns Over Homelessness and Reoffending The new early release scheme will kick in this week, allowing prisoners serving standard determinate sentences to be released after completing 40% of their sentence. This is part of the government's effort to reduce pressure on overcrowded prisons. However, there are significant concerns about the potential rise in homelessness and reoffending among those released. With 5,500 prisoners expected to leave early, critics, including former inmates and social justice groups, warn that the lack of housing and support could lead many to end up on the streets, making reoffending more likely. Over 13% of released offenders were homeless in the year to March 2024, while evidence clearly shows that stable accommodation reduces reoffending by 50%. The Local Government Association and charities like Nacro highlight the shortage of affordable housing and reluctance from landlords to rent to ex-offenders as major barriers. Critics urge the government to ensure proper support and housing plans are in place to avoid exacerbating the homelessness crisis. #EarlyRelease #HomelessnessCrisis #Reoffending #PrisonReform #CriminalJustice #SupportExOffenders #HousingCrisis #JusticeSystem #Rehabilitation

Releasing prisoners early risks a homelessness crisis 🏡 In order to help tackle the UK’s prison overcrowding crisis, up to 2,000 prisoners deemed ‘low risk’ are expected to be released next week as part of an early release scheme called SDS40, which will allow many prisoners to leave prison after serving 40% of their sentence (rather than the usual 50%). A second tranche of up to 1,700 prisoners are expected to be released in late October. 📈 In his first speech as prisons minister, Lord Timpson stressed that ‘a settled home and a settled job are key to ensuring that people do not reoffend after leaving prison, and that without a fixed address, work is hard to come by.’ As an employment charity for women with convictions, we know only too well that stable, safe accommodation is a prerequisite for successfully attaining and holding down a job and building a new life; equally, homelessness is an almost insurmountable barrier to employment and increases the risk of people reoffending just to survive. In the 12 months prior to June, the number of women released from prison with no fixed accommodation increased by 48% to 660. A shocking 3,375 people were sleeping rough three months after being released from prison - a 45% increase on the previous year. The early release scheme can only be effective with proper support and housing to give those being released a decent chance to thrive back in the community. Otherwise, many of those released early are likely to end up back in prison - entirely undermining the whole point of SDS40. #CriminalJustice #Homelessness #SDS40

📢The Big Issue recently reported that "women are asking to stay in prison beyond their sentence because they don’t have a home to go to." For years, women’s charities have been advocating for a significant reduction in the number of women sent to prison, highlighting how being in prison can worsen the situations of those with mental health issues, domestic abuse histories, or those facing homelessness upon release. The charity Women in Prison is urging the UK government to focus on prevention rather than criminalisation. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/e55xMw7r #WomenInPrison #UKPrisons #CriminalJustice #BigIssue

This is a succinct summary of the challenges facing the women’s prison system as is, based on what I have seen in the last couple of years. I agree that we need significant change to deliver much better outcomes - and for those a little sceptical of supporting offender outcomes in isolation, it is worth remembering that a different approach could reduce future victim impact as well. Better reoffending outcomes are better for everyone in society - whichever area of the political spectrum you inhabit. Changing the approach to female prisoners should not be driven by politics (and neither should decisions regarding male prisoner strategy, I just know less about that world!).

For #thoughtfulthursday I thought I would look at the subject of releases. Please see the story below about this issue being brought up in Parliament by the All Parliament Group on Homelessness from the BBC The Homeless Reduction Act put a duty on prisons and hospitals to refer people to the local council if they were releasing someone onto the streets but this hasn't been happening. This mean people aren't getting the help they need at a time when they are arguably their most vulnerable. With prison releases another issue is the fact that prisons are releasing people late on a Friday afternoon. This means by the time they contact their local authority they are shut because its the weekend and it is then 2 or 3 days before they can even start their homeless application (we all know unless you are in priority need just notifying the Council you are homeless doesn't mean you will be housed immediately) This is a big issue and we have been meeting with local judges to try and get people released on a Monday or Tuesday. This means with little money they are back on the sleeps or back sleeping with their old mates with the temptations that brings before they can even start a new life. What would be even better is if the practice of filling in a homeless application could be completed a couple of days before release to ensure people are spending as little time as possible without any home. Hopefully the judges will listen and make a difference.

Why would we want to build more #prisons for women when - 3 of 4 have committed non-violent offences often driven by #poverty and trauma - 2 in 3 (at least) are victims of #domesticabuse and others of #sexualviolence and #childabuse with no support to address their trauma - more than 1 in 2 will likely get a few weeks/months yet lose her job, home and children in care with long term adverse consequences for the whole family… It costs the public purse up to £93,500 per year per woman (see below Russell Webster blog) for a place like #HMPBronzefield outside London, still privatised and Europe’s largest women’s prison, because - we send women to prison above Europe’s average rates - 3 in 4 (73%)reoffend within a year 👉🏽 PRISONS DONT WORK for most women and waste public funds! (Read the government s own assessment https://lnkd.in/gKWcDfPk) Instead we could reduce reoffending by diverting women away from custody - at the earliest point when first arrested - offering #community support in women’s centres at a cost of £1k to £2k per woman instead… - ensuring women’s needs and #trauma are addressed and they can be supported as a whole person 👉🏽 re-arrest rates are then lowered at <10%, with the possibility of keeping families together, their job and home and at a fraction of the cost! (Read London #Diversion report https://lnkd.in/gvpXHM3q) ⁉️Why, despite the new law and guidelines for more out of #court disposals, is there no #funding for all #police forces and women’s charities to ensure access to these life changing services for every #woman by the Ministry of Justice UK and HM Treasury ⁉️

Our #IPP Online Community Group is being set up in response to the recognition of the complex mix of emotional, social, and practical challenges that IPPs face when coming out of prison after serving long sentences.  Evidence indicates that individuals leaving prison do not receive sufficient support. Probation services are overburdened, and local charities and grassroots organizations often step in to fill the gaps. However, the IPP population has specific needs and traumas, and the Arukah team has not yet identified a group or organisation that offers dedicated support emotional and trauma support for these individuals and their complex requirements. The Arukah IPP Online Community Group will be a safe space for IPPs at all stages of their resettlement, from through the gate, early stages in their release, longer on licence and post-licence termination. It will be completely confidential with no disclosure to any agencies unless risk of extreme harm to themselves or others and there will be no requirement to disclose previous crimes or misdemeanours. If you work with IPPs or are connected to any, then please share our leaflet so that we can support them. Feel free to email sharon@arukah.co.uk Our first session is on 30th July at 7-8pm #prisonreform #rehabilitation #traumaawareness #efttapping #emotionalregulation #community Ministry of Justice UK HM Inspectorate of Prisons HM Prison and Probation Service