Leroy Douglas, 44, who spent two decades in prison for stealing a friend's phone, is set to be released to a bail hostel more than three hours from his home in Cardiff, prompting concern from his family.
Sentence ruled unlawful by UN
Douglas was handed an Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence in 2005 for stealing a mobile phone at Cardiff Central railway station, with a minimum term of two and a half years. He said he committed the crime because he wanted a community order to get help for drug addiction.
He remained behind bars for 20 years because IPP prisoners have no expected release date. Instead, their cases are reviewed by the Parole Board, which decides whether they are fit for release. The UN recently issued a legal opinion that IPP sentences were "arbitrary and unlawful", and a major legal challenge has been lodged with the High Court. The IPP scheme was abolished in 2012, but this did not apply retrospectively to serving prisoners.
Time served and family losses
During his imprisonment, Douglas became sober and completed over 30 courses. Psychologists determined he was safe for release, but he remained in jail, serving over eight times his original sentence.
Douglas became a father to his youngest daughter just after he was imprisoned; she is now 20. He missed countless birthdays and Christmases and lost family members while inside, including another daughter who died in 2021.
Release approved but hostel placement questioned
Last month, the UK Government announced that some of the 851 prisoners serving IPP sentences would be released under plans to ease jail overcrowding. Douglas's release has been approved by the Parole Board.
However, celebrations were subdued after Douglas and his family were told he would be released to a bail hostel more than three hours from Cardiff. His sister, Natalie Douglas, said she felt her brother was being "set up to fail".
She said: "We're not happy at all because he did his time all those years and they're saying he's fit for release then he should be allowed home with his family, not three hours away where he knows nobody and he's going to be stuck without being able to see his family. It's so wrong, he's just being set up to fail. It's very wrong and I think at least put him in a bail hostel in Cardiff, If he has to go in one why can't it be in Cardiff. Why should it be three hours where he knows nobody, it's very sad that they're doing that."
She added: "Me and my mother don't drive, my dad is always in work and it's so far to visit him which is so wrong. Leroy's happy because he's coming out but he's not happy he's going to be stuck up there knowing nobody so far away. It's like being in jail because if he was in Cardiff he would be able to see us every day, he could see people every day and have that support he needs."
A petition has been launched by Douglas's family in an appeal to have him placed in a bail hostel nearer to Cardiff.
Statistics from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and HM Prison and Probation Service show that 856 people are currently in prison under IPP sentences, 850 of which are male and six female. A further 1,415 have been recalled to prison after receiving an IPP sentence.
