- cross-posted to:
- abolition
- cross-posted to:
- abolition
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There was an interesting discussion on Radio 4 the other day that suggested you could release a lot more female prisoners because they tended to not be in for violent or sexual crimes. It would make less tabloid headlines and clear a prison or two.
Of course, just releasing prisoners based on crime and & how much of the assigned sentence is served. Has exactly the same effect. Without any ability to accuse of prejudice.
They weren’t suggesting just releasing women as that would be an issue.
Of course, if you are releasing people for offences were drink, drugs or mental health may have contributed, then you need a better support mechanism or they’ll boomerang straight back inside. Another reason a holistic approach is needed. It’s why cutting the money going to social work, mental health services, etc, etc is not a saving.
It’s not just that kind of support. Just releasing people isn’t good either. For one thing, they need places to live, and help finding work, etc.
I hope this is going to happen along side a bunch of resources going to the services which support people after release. Otherwise this is going to go very wrong as you suggest.
I wonder if publishing leaked US military helicopter footage and violating the UK Bail Act would have been crimes worthy of release.
Like that was ever up to us to decide?
True, that one’s on Obama, Trump, and Biden. Still would have been super awkward to release a bunch but keep the journalist.
I bet they’re not releasing Toby Shone or the crew charged with first time riot offenses though.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Speaking at HMP Five Wells in Northamptonshire, Ms Mahmood said jails had been operating at 99% capacity since the start of last year and were now weeks away from running out of space.If that happened overflow police cells would be filled, she warned, leading to “van-loads of dangerous people circling the country with nowhere to go”.She added: "Soon, the courts would grind to a halt, unable to hold trials.“With officers unable to act, criminals could do whatever they want, without consequence.
As Ms Mahmood painted a bleak picture she would have been aware that allowing some prisoners out early will not be popular with some people.But she stressed that she had been “left with no choice at all” blaming the previous Conservative government for the crisis.
Ms Mahmood knows that the questions and criticism will quickly come her way if this scheme does not work or leads to a rise in offences.Conservative shadow security minister Tom Tugendhat said in a social media post: "In what world is releasing 20,000 criminals onto our streets a good idea.
Ex-Labour MP Harriet Harman believes that too many women are being locked up and says the criminal justice system should deal with them in a different way.
“Most women are in prison for very short sentences for non-violent crimes, [and] most themselves have been victims of violence as well,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
"The chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor said “this measure will inevitably lead to the early release of some risky offenders” but a decision on how to tackle the issue “needed to be taken and none would have been without risk”.
The original article contains 979 words, the summary contains 273 words. Saved 72%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
