Voices: ‘We are addicted to incarceration’: Readers split over Andy Burnham’s early prisoner release scheme

‘We are addicted to incarceration’: Readers split over Andy Burnham’s early prisoner release scheme Some readers say the move to exclude rapists and sex offenders still doesn’t go far enough, while others argue ministers have no real alternative while prisons stay full - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Andy Burnham’s early prisoner release scheme has been redrawn again, with rapists and serious child sex offenders – including those convicted of grooming offences – now barred from qualifying. The prime minister said he understood the “anxiety and distress” the scheme has caused and admitted he “wanted to go even further”, but warned that doing so risked the prison system collapsing. Our readers aren’t convinced the changes go far enough. In our poll on whether the scheme should go ahead, 40 per cent said only if more serious offences are excluded, and a further 33 per cent said it should be scrapped completely – against just 25 per cent who backed it, arguing overcrowding leaves ministers with no better option. That split ran through the comments too, with many demanding the exclusion list be widened to cover domestic abusers and the killers of PC Andrew Harper, while others argued the real scandal is decades of under-investment that left the system with nowhere else to turn. The row over indefinite IPP sentences, which Burnham has also asked to be reviewed, added a further layer of anger from readers who say some prisoners have been failed for decades. Here’s what you had to say: Beggars belief The fact that this option should even need to be considered is an absolute disgrace but not surprising after decades of underfunding the whole criminal justice system, not just prisons. No crimes are without a victim but the overall reoffending rate for prisoners who have served shorter sentences of less than 12 months stands at over 56 per cent, which must beg the question whether a prison sentence is actually the most effective solution for those types of crimes. Obviously the exclusion of rapists and child sex offenders is a welcome step but surely that needs to go much further and extend to any prisoner who has committed a violent crime resulting in the loss of life or serious injury. It beggars belief that the two youths involved in the manslaughter of a serving police officer should be included in this release scheme. The Tories are the arsonists who set this fire There isn’t a choice. If you don’t release these offenders early, the prison system grinds to a halt and police cannot arrest people because they have nowhere to put them. The Tories had 14 years to build new prisons and reform the system, and they did not do so, and now we have a system that has broken. Badenoch and the Tories are the arsonists that set the fire and have now returned to the scene offering to put it out. Killers of PC Harper should not be released early Andy Burnham’s announcement that “all rapists and serious child sex offenders will not be eligible for early release” needs an immediate amendment stating that ALL sex offenders right across the board will not be offered an early release from jail. In addition, I strongly feel that the teenage killers of PC Harper should NOT be released early. For the latest political headlines delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily View from Westminster newsletter here. What’s the alternative? What’s the alternative? Successive Tory governments promised thousands more prison places and delivered a few hundred. If an early release scheme isn’t implemented, prisons will soon run out of places for major offenders. A large part of the problem also lies in the damage done to the probation service by the same Tory governments. There needs to be a lot more investment in probation. We are addicted to incarceration We are addicted to incarceration. Sentences have got longer and longer while the value of such an increase in penal populism is non-existent, bar assuaging people’s teeth-gnashing sense of vengeance. The alternative to early release is more overcrowding and likely disorder, which would endanger both staff and prisoners. Every IPP prisoner deserves to have their case reassessed immediately I 100 per cent agree that IPP sentences are a stain on the British justice system. Yes, these people committed a crime, but to be in prison for 20 years with absolutely no idea if you will ever be released is not justice. No wonder almost 100 people have taken their own lives while on an IPP sentence. One case: a man received a minimum tariff of two years four months in 2008, but was still held until 2023, when he died by suicide. That’s utterly shameful, and every one of the prisoners still held on an IPP deserves to have their case reassessed immediately. Release and compensate the IPP prisoners first Release and compensate the IPP prisoners first. That’ll free up space, and then you can move on to those who have been convicted of non-violent and non-sexual crimes. None of them can just be dumped onto the streets Their detention cannot continue; if anything breaches human rights, this does. But the probation and mental health services must make sure they are given every help to re-enter society in a meaningful way. Those who have families to support them will be better off, but none of them can just be dumped out of prison onto a hostel or the streets and left to fend for themselves. The UK has the highest incarceration rate in Western Europe The United Kingdom has the highest per-capita incarceration rate in Western Europe, with over 87,000 people in prison and severe overcrowding driven by longer average sentences. Approximately 159 people per 100,000 are imprisoned in England and Wales. Average rates in the EU are much lower, around 113 per 100,000. It really can’t be the case that the British have a higher predilection to criminality than our European neighbours. Burnham will need a fall guy The whole Sentencing Act was rushed through with no plan whatsoever for these people when released. The Audit Office has said tagging has failed because the private companies are not doing it properly, and the Probation Service has said it cannot cope with the current numbers of released prisoners, let alone all those due to be released in October. Some of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity. Want to share your views? 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