Initially up to 6,000 offenders were to benefit from the scheme, but it’s unclear now how many will still be released because ministers have not published the draft of the new rules which specifically lists the offences that will be excluded.
While politicians and the public roughly understand the aim, this lack of clarity has caused a huge problem for prison governors.
They must tell offenders their release dates.
The Prison Governors Association says its members are unclear how many prisoners will now need their sentences to be recalculated again and who will remain in prison.
“We don’t know if it is tens, hundreds or thousands that will be excluded,” it said in a statement.
Knowing the date means governors can plan how they are using cells for other inmates – and it helps inmates prepare better for release through resettlement and rehabilitation – including making sure they have a bed for the first critical nights.
A safe bed means a better shot at going straight and getting a job.
Anything that makes it harder to resettle an offender increases the chance they will break the law again and return to prison – and that in turn means more overcrowding and the chances of rehabilitation diminish.
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