‘Releasing prisoners early makes a mockery of the system’

12 September 2024

That is the opinion of Luke Mitchell, chair of Hertfordshire Police Federation, who has spoken out after more than 1,700 prisoners have been released early across England and Wales.

The move is part of a government scheme and aims to ease prison overcrowding. Offenders jailed for violent offences, including sex and domestic offences, who are serving at least four years are not eligible for early release.

“Some of these offenders haven’t even served half of their sentence, yet some have committed some serious offences. What message does that send to our police officers? What message does that send to victims?” Luke argued.

“There is so much wrong with this decision, and I am hugely concerned. I’m concerned about how this could impact our members, and I’m concerned about the potential risk that the public might face.

Knee-jerk reaction

“I feel like this is a quick, knee-jerk reaction made by the government. I question weather probation and other keys services are ready and prepared to manage these people as they exit prison, it feels as if the doors have just been left open and people allowed to leave.

Under the scheme, which was announced in July, offenders in jails in England and Wales serving sentences of less than five years could be released on licence (must adhere to restrictions for the rest of their sentence) after serving 40 per cent of their sentence, instead of 50.

“At a time when the police system is already struggling, I feel like this is just going to put additional pressure on our officers. Our members are going to be the ones picking up the additional risk,” continued Luke.

Luke highlighted that Federation members will have spent months - if not years - working on many of these cases, and he anticipates that many will be left feeling disappointed and frustrated with the Government’s recent decision.

“I’m not surprised our members will feel upset. And what about the victims? They’re my concern, too. So many must be feeling completely let down by the system,” he added.

“And will this move encourage victims not to go to the police in the future? I wouldn’t blame them if they were to feel like ‘what’s the point?’

Lack confidence

“This is another reason for members of the public to lack confidence in policing and the criminal justice system.”

Despite being a former custody sergeant himself, Luke says he is ‘even confused’ as to what message is being sent out by the Government.

“A few weeks ago, the headlines were all about putting more people behind bars, and today, they’re all about releasing them. I’m even confused, and I’ve worked in custody,” said Luke.

He added: “And let’s look at the wider impact this might have. Will judges start being more relaxed when it comes to sentencing because they feel we don’t have the custody space?”

While Luke acknowledged that space in prisons was tight, he said releasing potentially risky offenders ‘was not the answer’.

“The prisons need to be invested in properly so the space is available. What's more, offenders need to be managed correctly upon release to prevent re-offending,” he said, ending: “If this doesn’t happen, we will just end up going round and round in circles.”