Conservative politicians have warned that a proposed early release scheme, intended to alleviate prison overcrowding, could result in the release of dangerous criminals. The plan, put forth by the prime minister, involves freeing some prisoners serving indefinite sentences.
Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences were handed down to offenders between 2005 and 2012 who were deemed to pose a significant risk of serious harm to the public. These sentences are indefinite, meaning prisoners can only be released once the Parole Board is satisfied they no longer pose a threat. As of June, 2,271 individuals were serving these sentences, with 856 never having been released because the Parole Board deemed it unsafe.
"By definition, the people who are still in prison on those sentences are dangerous, because they've all been considered by independent expert assessors who have concluded that they are not safe to release and they would be a danger to the public," shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy told the BBC. He added that ending indefinite sentences would require new legislation, potentially delaying the freeing up of space.
Timothy acknowledged that the prime minister is facing a prison overcrowding issue that he did not create, stating, "I'm fully open about the fact that one of the failures of the last Conservative government was that not enough prison places were built."
Minister for Victims, Violence Against Women and Girls & International Justice, Alex Davies Jones, stated that the government's "number one priority is to keep the public safe and in order to do that we need a functioning criminal justice system." She told the BBC's Today programme that the scheme aims to ensure "there is always a prison space available for someone who needs it." On BBC Breakfast, she clarified that "release doesn't mean freedom" and that those released would likely be subject to GPS tagging.
As of August 3, the prison population in England and Wales stood at 86,495, occupying approximately 97% of usable capacity.