Enver Solomon, Chief Executive of Nacro on the announcement:
“It is understandable that the new Prime Minister wants to look at the detail of the early release scheme before taking it forward. In doing this, it’s important that the Government does not lose sight of the urgent preparations needed to ensure that people leaving prison have the support they need and releases are managed safely. The review must be carried out as quickly as possible to give people in prison, those who work with them, and victims of crime the clarity they need.
“To make sure that people leaving prison are not drawn into reoffending, proper planning is needed to make sure people aren’t released homeless and that they have the healthcare and other support they need from the moment they walk through the prison gates.
“It should not be forgotten that the reason the Labour government put in place an early release scheme was to ensure there isn’t yet another prisons capacity crisis. It is vital that the new government ensures prisons do not quickly become overcrowded again unable to rehabilitate people so they are turned away from a life of crime and there are fewer victims.”
