Early Release Scheme

I dont suppose that case Patsy is quite as straightforward as it appears

Just read another thread under N&P entitled No wonder our prisons are full. I wonder how many other prisoners there are who stole a phone and have remained inside for 14 years.

eazybee

The problem was handed over to Alex Norris, the Justice Secretary, to find a solution , which he has done. As was prophesied at the time, if he failed it would be the end of his post; if he succeeded, Burnham would take all the credit, as is happening today.
Just in time for his triumphant entry to a new term in Parliament.
So predictable.
And now, the Defence Budget.

Burnham is not taking all the credit. He talks "we" as in "we, the government". And frankly if people dont get that he is not individually doing everything as opposed to leading a team of ministers wbo have a job to do alongside him then 🙄

Cossy, that sounds like a long-term plan! Suggest it to your MP? A lot of money needs to be poured in to the prison, justice and police system.

In a perfect world no one should be released early but releasing someone who has been given say 10 years at 7 makes a mockery of the sentence given if they know they will be out in 7 why not just sentence them to 7. Makes no sense to me.

I just think our entire prison system is all skewed and flawed and also we do have space in both a new prison and some wings just refurbished in older prisons.

But guess what? No staff!

So, my radical solution is as so;

Only violent and sexual offences and extreme repeat lesser crimes to get prison sentences.

Everyone else gets tagged and suspended sentences and curfews and has to do months and months of unpaid work, passports and driving licences confiscated for duration of sentences.

Start big recruitment drives for prisoner officers and other personnel to work in prisons and to monitor those on suspended sentences.

Great training and good salaries for those recruited.

Invest heavily in residential rehabs for both drink and drug addicts. Invest heavily in mental health services and re-open some residential mental health homes.

Make rehabilitation sessions mandatory for all people serving any kind of sentence.

For those in prison, provide good clean accommodation with plenty of work and learning and exercise facilities, as well as libraries

No early release. Restrict all privileges until earned. Weekly drug tests, weekly cell searches, all n different days and different times. Swap staff into different wings and duties regularly.

It could be argued the risk is greater in those circumstances than early release of convicted offenders coming out under tag and supervision.

The optics look better but the public risk actually could be much greater....

Prisons are running at 98% capacity which is a dangerous place to be.

Lack of available space in prison adversely impacts on the ability of the Police/CPS to admit those arrested under police investigation for serious crimes (e.g alleged rapists, alleged murderers, alleged manslaughter offenders, alleged terrorism offenders etc) on remand. That leads to such suspected offenders more often being released back into the community on bail rather than go to prison on remand.

So the potential increase of risk to the public increases as a result.

I am just glad that it is happening.

The changes announced by Andy Burnham to the Sentencing Act weren't in the pipe line, and I'm not convinced even with the strength of public feeling that KS would have made the amendments we are now seeing.

I think a lot of things were in the pipeline under Starmer, but he was not such a good communicator.

I am not interested in apportioning blame and slagging parties off - I just want to see problems tackled with an emphasis of creating a fair society rather than feathering the nests of the rich few.

eazybee

The problem was handed over to Alex Norris, the Justice Secretary, to find a solution , which he has done. As was prophesied at the time, if he failed it would be the end of his post; if he succeeded, Burnham would take all the credit, as is happening today.
Just in time for his triumphant entry to a new term in Parliament.
So predictable.
And now, the Defence Budget.

He's not taking all the credit!

Unlike many past PM's he has been clear where he turned for guidance and help.

MrsQuigley

Good. As it should be.

I support the idea that foreign nationals should be deported on conviction to free up much needed space in the prisons.

When will new prisons be built, we certainly need them.

Who says Keir Starmer wouldn’t have acted as Andy Burnham has in ensuring those two criminals remain in prison? Must have forgotten how hard Starmer came down on the violent demonstrators after the summer riots two years ago. There was no about-turning or flip-flopping then, he was on solid ground.

Sounds like some are actually believing that Burnham is the Messiah.

The Tories have to take some responsibility for not expanding prisons.
I have a GD who works for the Ministry of Justice and when the shortage of prison spaces was looming, she joined a working party travelling around the country's prisons to assess their suitability for expansion. Many prisons cannot be enlarged for various reasons but the MOJ working party put forward sensible and workable solutions to provide more prison spaces. Each and every one of them was turned down with the last report being refused by Rishi Sunak.
The problem isn't going to go away. Like you and in a previous post on this thread, I think all foreign nationals should go back to their countries to serve their sentences.

I am delighted they are not being released if that's any help.

Five minutes ago we were all being told what a good guy Starmer was, adult in the room etc. So I am not sure if we can be blamed for being sceptical about 'the next great thing'.

Good. As it should be.

I support the idea that foreign nationals should be deported on conviction to free up much needed space in the prisons.

When will new prisons be built, we certainly need them.

Who says Keir Starmer wouldn’t have acted as Andy Burnham has in ensuring those two criminals remain in prison? Must have forgotten how hard Starmer came down on the violent demonstrators after the summer riots two years ago. There was no about-turning or flip-flopping then, he was on solid ground.

Sounds like some are actually believing that Burnham is the Messiah.

Good on Burnham. Thank goodness he is there now and not the human rights lawyer.

Peacelilydilly

I bet that's taken the smirk off the faces of that poor policemans killers.

I would love to be a fly on the wall when they find out

It should never have come to this and wouldn't have had it been thoroughly gone into in the first place.

Well done Andy Burnham. I can't see this would have happened under KS.

Do you know, if Andy Burnham stopped the whole world from imploded, single handed, someone would say he didn’t do it right and blame him for it happening in the first place.

Well done Andy Burnham keep going, you’re doing better in a few weeks than most of the previous PMs did in a whole term

The bottom line here is that those two will not be getting out early. This is good news surely so why try to discredit Burnham?

The problem was handed over to Alex Norris, the Justice Secretary, to find a solution , which he has done. As was prophesied at the time, if he failed it would be the end of his post; if he succeeded, Burnham would take all the credit, as is happening today.
Just in time for his triumphant entry to a new term in Parliament.
So predictable.
And now, the Defence Budget.

I bet that's taken the smirk off the faces of that poor policemans killers.

25Avalon

It took protests and petitions for him to realise how strong public opinion was and then to take action. I think it was the justice department that found how to do this legally. It was not automatic from Burnham.

But it was Burnham who demanded that the justice department found a way to do this legally. I doubt they would have done it off their own bat.

I think the million odd signatures will have swayed him to do the right thing.
I think if there had not been the police & public outcry, I think they would be getting out.