REF: PR/16/05
DATE: 13th October 2005
To: ALL POLITICAL
ALL INDUSTRIAL CORRESPONDENTS
PRESS RELEASE
NO EMBARGO
Tagging For Profit
The POA are concerned over the proposal by the Home Secretary to exercise his authority and release prisoners early.
The proposed extension of Home Detention Curfew Policy (HDC) is not appropriate for prisoners who have already been sentenced by the Courts and currently do not qualify for early release. The organisation that manages the HDC has proven track records of failure under a tagging for profit scheme.
- Therefore, is the "public safe"? The POA has written to the Home Secretary to discuss the current crisis of the “prison population”.
- The POA seek a full review of the current sentencing policy.
- The POA seek a review to the financing of the Prison Service, a service that is not financed to support and care for in excess of 77,000 prisoners.
- The POA demand that prisoners are detained in humane conditions that provide decent regimes which address re-offending.
- The crisis management of the Prison Service is not acceptable.
- A short term knee jerk reaction to the problem will only cause further unrest.
The use of police cells is not value for money and the POA call on the management of the service to look at alternatives other than early release.
For further information contact:
POA Press Office: 020 8803 0255 Option 7
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