Fresh early prison release row as inmate ends up back in jail just 12 hours after release

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A new early prisoner release row has erupted after a violent thug ended up back behind bars just 12 hours after leaving jail. Policing and justice magazine 1919 reports that the unnamed man who was freed had no support in place and found himself back in prison following a drunken assault.

Independent charity Victim Support Scotland said there needs to be a complete "re-think" of emergency release proposals, with "adequate preparation, rehabilitation, and access to support services" put in place. The body's comments came following a scheme introduced earlier this year to ease overcrowding in Scottish prisons, which saw 477 prisoners released between June and July.

Inmates with 180 days or less to serve from a sentence of under four years were eligible for early freedom. But it has emerged that 171 of the 648 convicted criminals, 26.4 per cent, were kept locked up. Their freedom bids were knocked back by prison governors because of the risk they deemed them to pose to other people or to themselves.

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Policing and justice magazine 1919 today reports that an unnamed man who was freed had no support in place and found himself back in jail within 12 hours. Under the early release scheme – which mirrored action being taken in England and Wales – nobody convicted of sexual or domestic abuse offences was freed prematurely.

Governors could also prevent the release of those thought to pose a risk of immediate harm to an individual or a group. The Scottish Prison Service said it is working hard to reduce the risk of reoffending and ensure communities are safe. Kate Wallace, chief executive of Victim Support Scotland (VSS), told 1919 Magazine "the governor's veto is a crucial safeguard".

She added it is "a critical element of risk assessment, preventing prisoners who pose an immediate threat to individuals or the public from being released. We feel strongly that any future early release proposals should continue to contain this safeguard." A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said it would "always work hard to support people in their journey towards release".

They said they also want to help "to reduce their risk of reoffending, and help build safer communities" and added: "During the period of Emergency Early Release, this included carefully considering all those who met the strict criteria set by the Scottish Government." And they said veto decisions were taken "with the help of intelligence from police and social work".

They added: "Our staff always work hard to deliver as seamless as possible support for people leaving our care and returning to their communities, particularly in areas such as housing, healthcare, and welfare, but there was an additional focus on this group given the accelerated timescales we were working within."

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "All the prisoners who were eligible for emergency release were no more than 180 days from their scheduled release, and indeed 65 per cent were already within 90 days of their original release date. We worked closely with the Scottish Prison Service, and other partners, to ensure that appropriate pre-release planning took place prior to release".

They said that was "in line with an individual’s immediate needs" and added that "post-release support was available for those released during the process, and included support with access to housing, healthcare, and welfare". Scottish Conservative justice spokesperson Liam Kerr said: "This is proof of the risk posed by so many of the offenders."

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