Scrap automatic early release for prisoners, urges think tank
Automatic early release of prisoners should be scrapped, a think tank has proposed.
Policy Exchange said the Government should end the automatic release of prisoners 40 per cent of the way through their sentences because it made 'a mockery of the law-abiding majority and victims of crime.'
In a report backed by Peter Clarke, the former chief inspector of prisons, the think tank said early release should instead be an incentive earned by prisoners only where they had 'complied in full' during their time in jail.
Prisoners should participate 'in the steps necessary to reduce the likelihood of them re-offending on release – such as compliance with drug addiction treatment, education and training programmes and opportunities for work and employment' to be freed early, Policy Exchange wrote.
It added: 'To have the option for 'earned early release' prisoners must also be able to demonstrate that they are no longer at risk of reoffending on release.'
The report, which argues that the UK should send more criminals to prison, comes ahead of the expected publication this month of the independent sentencing review.
Commissioned by Shabana Mahmood, the Justice Secretary, and headed by her Tory predecessor David Gauke, the review is expected to point to reforms in Texas.
The US 'Lone Star' state introduced a form of earned release where prisoners who behave and participate in education, training and work can earn points which enable them to deduct months and years from their sentences.
Call to jail more offenders
Policy Exchange's report calls for a tougher penal policy with a commensurate rise in the number of prison places.
The think tanks wants an increase of 43,000 to more than 130,000, with a further 10,000 to prevent overcrowding – at least three times the number proposed by the Government.
Policy Exchange cites data that shows 'hyper-prolific offenders' – those who have more than 45 convictions – are sent to prison on fewer than half (46.2 per cent) of all occasions despite their criminal background.
To build the necessary prisons, it recommends the Government should be able to bypass local planning processes and should invest £6.5 billion in a prison-building programme over the next decade, with an additional annual investment of £1.7 billion per year.
Mr Clarke, a former head of the UK's counter-terrorism command, said: 'The reality is that there is no realistic alternative to increasing the capacity of our prisons.
'Not to do so would amount to an acceptance that the protection of the public is no longer the highest priority – an obviously untenable position for any Government.'
'Policy Exchange has for many years been arguing that prisoners need to be given the chance to improve their lives should they choose to do so.
'This important report argues that in the absence of effective policy alternatives that will genuinely protect the public, it is essential that more prison spaces are made available as a matter of urgency.'
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