Ian Lawrence also said that the early release scheme will add to the 'huge burden of work' probation staff are already experiencing
Around 1,700 prisoners are set to be released from prison today as part of the government’s new early release scheme. The scheme is designed to address the overcrowding and lack of space in Britain’s prisons.
In an interview with Left Foot Forward, Ian Lawrence – the general secretary of NAPO, the trade union representing probation workers – warned that the move is set to add to the ‘huge burden of work’ probation staff are already experiencing.
Speaking to Left Foot Forward at this year’s TUC Congress in Brighton, Lawrence said: “Because of the numbers of people being released […] around 1,700 across the UK, inevitably that is putting pressure on probation staff to get releases through.
“The biggest issue is that this adds to the huge burden of work on already hard-pressed staff, because without early release probation has been understaffed for many years and it’s certainly still understaffed from the time it was brought back into a public service”
He continued by saying: “The problem is the sheer burden of work that’s going to fall on probation staff. And our concern is that we can’t sit here and say the scheme, whilst replacing the other early release scheme, is not without risk. Because some people with a history of, say, sex offending or violence will qualify to be released.
“Now, we weren’t properly consulted on that, and had we been we might have advised differently. But we are where we are. Prisons are bursting at the seams, so is probation. So we understand why the government has enacted this scheme – it’s got no choice.”
Despite acknowledging that there is a short-term need to ease the capacity problems in prisons, Lawrence told Left Foot Forward that there is a need for long-term reforms of the criminal justice system. Specifically, Lawrence argued that there are ‘many thousands’ of people who ‘frankly shouldn’t be in prison’ and that short-term sentences are ‘disastrous’.
Lawrence said: “How many of these people coming out on early release are going to get recalled? Typically, a high proportion of people being released on this scheme will be recalled because they have nowhere to live or they go somewhere to live and it doesn’t last and it’s a temporary arrangement.
“Or they may reoffend. Depending on the gravity of that offence – if it’s not kind of serious, if it’s just because they’ve breached the conditions, then they’ll be recalled for a period of two weeks and let out again, so it’s a revolving door. And it’s a short term measure.
“So our view is – we understand the short-termism and the need to clear prison space – but what needs to happen is the government needs to be brave and have a really good look at short-term prison sentences. Now, in the prison system, which is bursting to capacity now, are many thousands of people who frankly shouldn’t be in prison.
“And that might range from what we call IPP prisoners, those that keep getting additions to their sentence – there are changes to that scheme that we broadly welcome, but that will result in some of those people being released – but the fact remains that until that wholesale review of probation as well as a look at short-term prison sentencing, then this is going to continue.”
Alongside these reforms to the criminal justice system, Lawrence told Left Foot Forward that the probation service – which has faced extensive upheaval in recent years, including through the brief, failed privatisation of the service under the Tories – needs a ‘financial rescue package’. He said: “Most of all, we need a financial rescue package for probation, so that must involve improving pay, terms and conditions to make probation pay comparative to the social sector elsewhere.
“It must an award that means people are encouraged to take up probation as a career – and we do have trainees coming in, but very often they come in the door and take one look at the chaos and they’re out again. And then the other thing they should do is motivate longer-serving staff sufficiently to stay – and you need the longer serving staff to be mentors to the new staff.”
Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward
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