Open Letter to Minister: The Early Release Scheme Must Slow Down
On July 15th, RJ4All wrote to Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood, raising concerns that the early release scheme aimed at tackling the prison capacity crisis is merely a temporary solution and does not address the root causes of societal problems. Instead, we advocate for restorative justice as a long-term approach that not only reduces reoffending but also benefits victims, offenders, and communities.
In response to our open letter, we have received two key updates from the government:
On September 20th
Following the Victim and Witness Sector Engagement Group meeting on September 12th, the Minister for Victims and Violence Against Women and Girls reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring victims and survivors know about their rights in the Code and have access to local support to cope and recover from the impact of the crime. In addition, they will outline timetables for implementing the Act and spend time developing a framework to oversee its delivery, focusing on effective data use and metrics for next year.
On October 17th
The Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending stated that the early release scheme remains the only immediate solution to address prison capacity. He emphasised that the government allowed 8 weeks for frontline workers to collaborate with relevant bodies and ensure readiness. While the government acknowledged the benefits of restorative justice for victims and communities, they did not outline any further steps for its inclusion in addressing the crisis.
OPEN LETTER
Alex Davies-Jones MP
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
Minister for Victims and Violence Against Women and Girls
10.9.24
Dear Honourable Davies-Jones MP,
Today, you are about to release just over 1,700 prisoners and I am calling you to intervene, as we have evidence to believe that society and the victims we represent are not ready. I write on behalf of the RJ4All International Institute, the International Fellowship of Restorative Justice Practitioners and those who have signed the RJ4All International Restorative Justice Pledge.
The Lord Chancellor believes that by proceeding with your government’s early release scheme, you will maintain “law and order”, as the prison system is about to collapse. The opposition is calling on you to build more prisons.
The evidence that we have collected over 20 years of working with victims and offenders indicates that none of these approaches will serve law and order. On the one hand, building more prisons to continue a failing incapacitation practice will merely exacerbate existing issues of re-offending, discrimination, suicides and racism. On the other hand, rehabilitation works when everyone affected is truly empowered to repair, restore, make amendments and transform. This takes time, and restorative justice holistic practices that implement the principles of power-sharing can reduce reoffending and increase victim satisfaction.
Criminal justice and justice cannot be served through “emergency measures”. This is not the time to assign blame either. Pushing your scheme at such a speed will neither serve law and order nor victims.
While we support your intention to provide a holistic offer to offenders once released, the civil society sector is not ready to support you. I wrote to you just 3 days after your government was elected to ask that you work with us to structure and implement your scheme. While we acknowledge your letter dated 22.08.24, little has been done to prepare the sector.
I will not repeat what The Chief Inspector of Prisons and many campaigners warned you regarding homelessness, unemployment, mental health challenges and poverty. I will merely state that if you are genuine in making a change in how rehabilitation is executed in our broken criminal justice system, you must slow down your scheme and allow for our sector to support you. I have asked for a meeting, and you have referred me to an online discussion that you might attend inviting just over 100 individuals. While I appreciate this invitation, I ask you to consider a more tailored approach to dialogue. This is not the time for political pitches.
We remain confident that your government will work collaboratively with communities, and engage in truly democratic dialogues that can help your scheme succeed.
Sincerely,
Prof. Theo Gavrielides, PhD,
Founder & Director
Restorative Justice for All International Institute (RJ4All)
Additional information & stats
General picture
- There were 87,726 people in prison on 30 June 2024. The proven reoffending rate for the July to September 2022 cohort was 26.5%.
- There are currently 123 prisons (107 male prisons, 12 female, and 4 under 18) with a useable operational capacity of 88,987. The average direct cost per prisoner was estimated in 2023 to be £33,628 but taking into account all other resource expenditure this cost rises to £51,1081
For SE16 – South London
- Based on our desk research and regular focus groups with local stakeholders and community members, key variables impacting community cohesion include unaddressed inter-community conflict, mental health challenges, socio-economic disadvantages, and insecurities related to food, housing, employment, and education. Additionally, the lack of community spaces for engagement, cultural cohesion, acceptance, and the lack of trust in local public figures, due to perceived power abuse, further exacerbates these issues.
- We have found that food and housing insecurity, are two of the most basic needs, which can reduce recidivism by up to 30%. This is why we have a food bank at the centre, see https://rj4all.org/food-services/ In Southwark in 2021/2022, there was estimated that 16% of adults were identified as food insecure, which is about 41,000 residents above sixteen years of age. In 2022/23 435 people were seen rough sleeping in Southwark, which represents a 12% increase when compared to 2021-2022. During 2022-2023, 59% were new rough sleepers in the borough.
- Additionally, rehabilitation programmes that incorporate mental health support have been found to improve more long-term outcomes. This is why we have mental health circles see https://rj4all.org/wellbeing-services/
