A mother whose partner is set to be freed from prison 11 months ahead of schedule has spoken out about her fears that he could end up in a worse situation and return to jail.
Sarah Walker has spent years bringing up her three-year-old daughter Tiana-Acea while her partner Kieran Sendall serves a 10-year prison sentence. Kieran, 38, was originally due to be released in April 2028 but is now expected to walk free in May 2027 under the Government's early release scheme.
Concerns about support
While the 34-year-old is relieved that her partner will be returning home sooner than anticipated, she is concerned he could be recalled to prison if the correct support and arrangements aren't established ahead of his release. The full-time mum from Manchester said: "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."
Criticism of the scheme
Mum-of-one Sarah worries that inmates being freed early without adequate rehabilitation and resettlement assistance could eventually make it more difficult for them to remain out of jail. She said: "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 and family life
Kieran is presently detained at HMP Woodhill, roughly three hours away from the family's residence. She explained the distance from home is creating challenges for Kieran to prepare for his reintegration into the community in the area where he'll actually be residing.
She said: "Emotionally, it is tough. You're in a relationship with someone via phone calls and limited visits. I have to wait for him to call; I can't just call him first if I'm not having a great day. 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 worries, Sarah backs the concept of eligible inmates being freed early and is longing for Kieran to finally return home. Kieran will have completed roughly six years of his 10-year-and-nine-month sentence upon his release.
Sarah said: "I'm most looking forward to becoming a family and making a life together. And I'm excited to watch Kieran become a dad to Tiana-Acea 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 pair have previously revealed how challenging it has been for Sarah to bring up their daughter with Kieran behind bars. Kieran wasn't present for Tiana-Acea's birth and numerous early milestones, though Sarah maintains he has stayed deeply engaged in her upbringing through regular telephone conversations and prison visits.
Sarah said: "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."
Background and future plans
Kieran was taken into custody in 2021 after leaving a man with "lasting injuries" during a violent mugging – reportedly beating the victim with a hiking stick to steal a quantity of cannabis from his rucksack. Kieran pleaded not guilty, but was convicted of robbery and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Sarah revealed that people questioned her decision to stand by Kieran while he was behind bars. She said: "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 couple have plans to wed and launch a business together, drawing on Kieran's Open University degree, which he completed while incarcerated. 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."
