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Press releasesREF: PR/34/07 DATE: 19th June 2007 To: ALL POLITICAL PRESS RELEASE Prisoner to be Given Get Out of Jail CardLeaders of the POA are awaiting the decision of Government to approve the release of up to two thousand prisoners, in an attempt to ease the current overcrowding problems in our prisons. The proposals from the recently established Ministry for Justice will see convicted criminals released part way through their sentence, in an attempt to ease the current prison population. The latest prison population figures prove that prisons are full and the use of police and court cells at almost £1800 per night is on the increase. As a result of this situation, the Government may be forced to accept these proposals. This flies in the face of their “Law and Order” policy and demonstrates that they have failed to act on the warnings that were given in respect of prison numbers and the need for new prisons. Any early release scheme may well undermine public confidence. Brian Caton General Secretary of the POA said, “We welcome any proposals which ease the chronic situations in our prisons today, provided the proposals meet the public’s expectations and protect society as a whole. These proposals, however, are nothing new they have been tried, tested and have failed under a different guise, namely an executive release programme. They are a quick fix with no long lasting benefits to the service or society. We must look seriously at alternatives to custody. We must address the severe problems in our prisons, which see prisoners with mental health problems being imprisoned instead of cared for in an appropriate secure setting. We need prisons fully staffed to ensure we are equipped to deal with the prison population no matter how many prisoners we hold so that we can address offending behaviour and prepare prisoners for release at the end of their sentence. We must not forget that the Government already has in place schemes to release prisoners part way through their sentence; parole, remission and home detention (“HDC”). If you look at the current prison population, it is clear that the prisoners who may be considered under this plan are those who should be in open conditions. Therefore, are we to empty open prisons or are prisoners not suitable for open conditions to be released into society? However it seems that the Government are now considering giving prisoners a “get out of jail free card”.
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