Comment: Victims are being failed by the early release of violent offenders

The Labour government inherited a crisis in the justice system, with court delays spiralling, prisons running at near capacity, making them dangerous and dysfunctional, and an overwhelmed probation service. This was the result of the previous Conservative government’s failure to invest in building more prison capacity and in the system as a whole. 

Labour had to come up with a plan to relieve the pressure and ensure prison spaces continued to be available. But they did have a choice as to how they would do this. The new sentencing mechanism allows the earlier release of those serving custodial sentences. This currently includes prisoners such as the killers of PC Andrew Harper, perpetrators of grooming gang offences and domestic violence. This is unforgivable. 

It’s approaching twenty-five years since my uncle was brutally attacked by three young men, just minutes from his own home. He’d asked them not to swear in front of his young children. Since the attack, my uncle has been cared for in a nursing home in a vegetative state. On his more lucid days, he can recognise his wife, but he cannot communicate anymore. 

My aunty and our extended family were given a life sentence that day, but the three attackers were given prison sentences of between fourteen and eight years for the vicious assault. 

Jess outside HMP Lewes with James MacCleary MP

We knew that those men would not go on to serve the full length of their sentences, as is the case within our criminal justice system for most sentences. But it was still a cruelty of the system when, as a family, we discovered that one of the men was being released for ‘special occasions’, such as family birthdays.  

So, I understand the sense of injustice that victims who have received letters telling them their perpetrators will be released early under the Government’s new sentencing guidelines must feel. These include those who have committed violent offences, whose victims live in constant fear. 

For the Government, there are other options available to them. These include the resentencing of those serving Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences. These sentences could not be handed out today, but there are roughly 2,000 prisoners still held under them. Another option is the repurposing of some women’s prisons, following a reassessment of whether it is necessary to keep those women who have committed non-violent offences incarcerated.  

The Liberal Democrats also fought to ensure there was a domestic abuse identifier in sentences so that those perpetrators could be exempted, but the Government is choosing not to use a tool it has to protect those who need it the most. 

The flip-flopping on the scheme has caused additional distress for victims across the country, and when we return to Parliament in two weeks, I’ll be fighting for a better scheme, so we can stabilise our prisons and stand up for victims. Both are possible with political will.