Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 11
11
Paragraph: 60
We ask the Government to set out how many prisoners were actively considered for release...
Conclusion
We ask the Government to set out how many prisoners were actively considered for release under the scheme and the principal reasons why just over 5 per cent were in fact released early.
Paragraph Reference:
60
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
As of 15 November, 262 prisoners have been released as part of the End of Custody Temporary Release (ECTR) scheme. The ECTR scheme was aimed at low-risk offenders approaching the end of their sentence, but we did not take its use lightly. The numbers released are lower than originally anticipated as releases were just one part of the wider strategy to create headroom for compartmentalisation which has now been achieved. Public protection has always been our primary concern and no prisoner was released without a stringent risk assessment. In addition, no prisoner was released without appropriate housing and healthcare support in place for them in the community. HMPPS worked with individuals to ensure they had accommodation in place, together with the necessary support where needed. Offenders were not to be released to anywhere where there were high risk people already isolating. Although ECTR releases have been paused since August 2020, it remains as a contingency measure that we have available. Should we reintroduce this measure, we will consider what lessons we can draw from how it has operated so far, to ensure the scheme is as effective as possible. At present, there are no plans to re-start releases.