Prisoners released early from jails including HMP Forest Bank in Salford have thanked Prime Minister Andy Burnham as the government began releasing 700 inmates nationwide to address overcrowding.
One former prisoner, who identified himself as Dean from Withington, said he had been given an eight-week prison sentence suspended for 18 months, but was jailed after missing two appointments with a drug counsellor for his methadone addiction. Released seven days earlier than expected, he said: “I'm so buzzing. It's better than being in another week. There's big people in there, they've got, like, years off.”
Prisoners react to early release
Dean said some prisoners were not aware of the changes in sentencing rules. He said: “I've had to explain…people don’t even know who Andy Burnham was. I think he's a really good prime minister. He's getting things done. He doesn't just give it all the talk. He gets things done.” Asked about public anger over early releases, he added: “I do agree with it to a certain degree, like.”
Another prisoner, dressed in shorts, a T-shirt and trainers and holding his belongings in a bin bag, said as he left HMP Durham: “Justice system, what justice system? Thank you Andy Burnham.” A man leaving HMP Cardiff said: “Thank you very much and don’t get me back here again, bro.”
Wider release scheme
Matthew Johnson, 35, said he was “buzzing” to be freed from HMP Leeds, calling the scheme “a good idea, to be fair. They need to free up some places anyway. The staff are overwhelmed anyway with what they’ve got to cope with at the minute. It’s hectic. It’s crowded. Cells for one person with two people in them.”
Jordan Laverack, 26, said outside the same prison: “The plan for today, it’s to go to KFC and after that I’m not sure.” He said: “I think early release is good for myself. I can see why there’s a lot of attention behind it, because there might be people doing heinous crime who are getting released early. But for the average person, who’s missed probation like myself, I think it suits somebody like me.” He added: “I just want to get myself some work, some employment, make my family proud, maybe get a girlfriend, get married, you never know,” and “They’ve actually released me with nowhere to stay but I’ve got a few friends I can stay at.” He said it was not his first time in prison but “hopefully my last”.
Government defends scheme
Some 5,000 prisoners are scheduled to be released in stages over the next year, down from 6,000 after ministers intervened to exclude rapists and the most serious child sex offenders. The Ministry of Justice said released offenders will be monitored under the “toughest supervision in British history”.
Justice Secretary Alex Norris said: “We understand the anxiety victims face ahead of offenders’ release dates, but the greatest danger to victims would be prisons running out of cells for dangerous criminals, which was the crisis this Government inherited. Our plan will make sure this never happens again by building 14,000 prison places while subjecting offenders to the toughest-ever controls, leaving them nowhere to hide and under no doubt that we are watching them.”
