Reform MP Sarah Pochin has warned that victims of domestic abuse are “absolutely terrified for their safety” as Labour’s latest prisoner early release scheme begins.
Speaking outside HMP Brixton this morning, Pochin challenged the government’s decision to free offenders convicted of sexual offences and domestic violence in an attempt to ease prison overcrowding.
Prisoners were being released from HMP Brixton as Pochin stood outside the prison.
“Starting from today, over the next few months, 4,500 dangerous criminals will be released after serving only a third of their sentence,” she said.
“They are going to be freed onto our streets potentially to re-offend. We know that there are women out there absolutely terrified for their safety.”
For victims of domestic abuse, an offender’s release will mean renewed fear about whether they will be contacted, threatened or even attacked again. Those who believed a prison sentence would give them time to rebuild their lives now face the prospect of their abuser being given freedom much sooner than expected.
Pochin warned that women she knew were “terrified that their abusers are coming out and will be free to re-offend”.
She also challenged assurances about monitoring: “The government said that all of these early release prisoners would be monitored in the community because they will be tagged. Well, that is in fact not the case. There is not the resource to tag these prisoners.”
Drawing on her experience working in the courts, she warned that probation services were under enormous pressure, leaving police to “pick up the pieces in the community”.
A Reform government would have a real solution to the prison overcrowding problem. Pochin said: “We’ve made it very clear that on day one we will empty our prisons of the 10,700 foreign national offenders and they will be sent back to serve their prison sentence either in their country of origin or in a third country.”
“That immediately frees up prison spaces. We will also start a scheme of immediately building Nightingale prisons.”
“This is about the will of the government to free up these prison spaces.”
Speaking outside HMP Brixton this morning, Pochin challenged the government’s decision to free offenders convicted of sexual offences and domestic violence in an attempt to ease prison overcrowding.
Prisoners were being released from HMP Brixton as Pochin stood outside the prison.
“Starting from today, over the next few months, 4,500 dangerous criminals will be released after serving only a third of their sentence,” she said.
“They are going to be freed onto our streets potentially to re-offend. We know that there are women out there absolutely terrified for their safety.”
For victims of domestic abuse, an offender’s release will mean renewed fear about whether they will be contacted, threatened or even attacked again. Those who believed a prison sentence would give them time to rebuild their lives now face the prospect of their abuser being given freedom much sooner than expected.
Pochin warned that women she knew were “terrified that their abusers are coming out and will be free to re-offend”.
She also challenged assurances about monitoring: “The government said that all of these early release prisoners would be monitored in the community because they will be tagged. Well, that is in fact not the case. There is not the resource to tag these prisoners.”
Drawing on her experience working in the courts, she warned that probation services were under enormous pressure, leaving police to “pick up the pieces in the community”.
A Reform government would have a real solution to the prison overcrowding problem. Pochin said: “We’ve made it very clear that on day one we will empty our prisons of the 10,700 foreign national offenders and they will be sent back to serve their prison sentence either in their country of origin or in a third country.”
“That immediately frees up prison spaces. We will also start a scheme of immediately building Nightingale prisons.”
“This is about the will of the government to free up these prison spaces.”
