A Manchester mother whose partner is set to be freed from prison 11 months early has criticised the Government's early release scheme as 'crazy', fearing he could end up back behind bars without the right support.
Sarah Walker has been raising her three-year-old daughter Tiana-Acea while her partner Kieran Sendall serves a 10-year prison sentence. Kieran, 38, was arrested and jailed in 2021 after leaving a man with lasting injuries following a violent robbery. He was originally due for release in April 2028 but is now expected to walk free in May 2027 under the scheme.
While Sarah, from Manchester, is relieved her partner will come home sooner, she worries he could be recalled unless proper arrangements are made before his release.
Concerns over lack of structure
“Just releasing prisoners with no structure and nowhere to go is crazy,” she told creatorzine.com. “I worry he'll end up back in prison if he's not given the right support from probation. He could 100% get a recall. He's trying everything possible to get things put in place with probation regarding licensing conditions. It was just a relief that we were getting him home sooner than expected, but I worry that he's not going to get the correct support and resettlement ready for release.”
The 34-year-old mum-of-one, who says she became pregnant during a prison visit, fears inmates released early without sufficient rehabilitation and resettlement support could find it harder to stay out of prison.
“I don't agree with the way they have done the scheduled batches and how they aren't prepared. A lot of shorter-sentence prisoners will think it's a joke as they only have to serve 33%. I think it will work better for longer-sentence prisoners who also have a longer licence and they will want to stay out and won't just see prison as a holiday camp. A prisoner could receive a three-year sentence and only have to serve under 12 months. I don't think that's a lesson learned. I believe more rehabilitation needs to be done inside prison. That's the root cause of prisoners reoffending. I'd say there needs to be intensive rehabilitation and mental health help for prisoners, especially close to the release date. Just releasing prisoners with no structure and nowhere to go into the big wide world is just crazy.”
Distance adds to difficulties
Kieran is currently held at HMP Woodhill, around three hours from the family's Manchester home. Sarah said the distance makes it hard for Kieran to prepare for his return to the community where he will actually be living.
“Emotionally, it is tough. You're in a relationship with someone via phone calls and limited visits. It's hard practically, especially with him being so far away and having to take a full day just to see him for two hours.”
Despite her concerns, Sarah supports the principle of eligible prisoners being released early and is desperate for Kieran to come home. He will have served around six years of his 10-year-and-nine-month sentence when released.
Looking forward to family life
“I'm most looking forward to becoming a family and making a life together. I'm excited to watch Kieran become a dad in the outside world rather than in a visitation hall. Our daughter can have her dad at home, and we can finally become a family, but he has still served the majority of his custodial sentence.”
The couple have previously shared how difficult it has been for Sarah to raise their daughter without Kieran. He missed Tiana-Acea's birth and many first milestones, though Sarah says he has remained involved through daily phone calls and visits.
“It's been tough being a solo parent, but he has done as much as he can from inside a prison to mentally support our family. I speak to him every day; visits are tough at the moment as he is a three-hour drive away and our little girl has started school. And visits are hard to book where he is unless they are booked well in advance. We are aiming at two visits a month.”
Kieran was arrested in 2021 after leaving a man with lasting injuries following a violent robbery – reportedly using a hiking stick to hit the victim to obtain a quantity of cannabis from his rucksack. He pleaded not guilty but was found guilty of robbery and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Criticism and future plans
Sarah said people questioned why she continued the relationship while Kieran was behind bars. “Of course people weren't happy that I was sticking by him. Some people were in my ear telling me not to be with him and saying I'm ruining my life. My family have supported me as their daughter, but not because they agree with the situation. But it's no one's business who I choose to be in a relationship with. I know how good my relationship is, and who is anyone to judge that if they haven't been in my situation?”
The pair plan to marry and start a business together using Kieran's open university degree, which he achieved in prison. Sarah added: “Going through limited visits, phone calls, having a premature baby at 33 weeks and being unable to see him in person for two months was tough with all the worry and stress, but it only made us stronger and will never take normal life for granted again. We've had to build family ties on video calls and phone calls, which has also made us realise how strong we are and we are a tight team.”
