Tories claim reoffending is 'off the charts' amid early prison releases

Conservative politicians have raised concerns that reoffending rates are "off the charts" as the government continues an early prison release scheme. The scheme aims to alleviate pressure on the justice system, with ministers stating it is necessary to prevent a collapse.

Criticism over tagging measures

Nick Timothy, the Conservative shadow justice secretary, told the House of Commons that assurances about electronic tagging for released prisoners have not been met. He stated that a majority of prisoners are not being tagged before their release, contradicting previous government claims of implementing the "toughest tagging regime in history."

Mr Timothy criticised the government's approach, saying, "It is better to work out how to implement your policy before it starts, not after." He added, "We know a majority of prisoners are not being tagged before release, and we know reoffending is off the charts already."

Government response and future data

Justice minister Jake Richards responded by urging more contrition from the Conservative party regarding their record in government. Mr Richards confirmed that details on the number of prisoners released in each phase are available on the Government website. He also stated that further data concerning prison releases will be publicly accessible in January.

"This is a new sentencing regime, and it’s right that we release the data in the appropriate way as we have always done," Mr Richards said, referring to the forthcoming January data release.

Scale of releases and exclusions

Approximately 650 more individuals were due to be released from prisons on Tuesday, following a release of 700 inmates less than two weeks prior. In total, around 5,000 prisoners are scheduled for staged release over the next year. This number was reduced from an initial figure of 6,000 after ministers decided to exclude rapists and serious child sex offenders from the scheme.

Offenders convicted of offences including manslaughter and those involved in child grooming gangs will also not be eligible for early release under the current measures.