Tougher tests for violent cons
JUSTICE Secretary Dominic Raab is to get new powers to protect the public by stopping the worst criminals moving to open prisons.
From tomorrow, criminals jailed for crimes such as murder and rape will face tougher tests to prove they should be sent to a prison where there is minimal security. If the tests are not met then the Justice Secretary will be able to overrule recommendations from the Parole Board to move them.
Mr Raab, also the Deputy Prime Minister, said: “Keeping the public safe is government’s first duty. That’s why I’m toughening up the test the most dangerous criminals must pass before they can move into open prisons.
“We are also going to introduce a ministerial check on parole decisions to release the most serious offenders – to protect the public and make our streets safer.”
The new tests include demonstrating that an inmate is highly unlikely to abscond, that the move is essential for them to work towards future release, and that it would not undermine public confidence in the justice system.
Mr Raab previously had more limited powers to stop offenders going to an open prison, and used them to block the move of several dangerous criminals in the past two months.
They include murderer Steven Ling, who sexually assaulted and killed Joanne Tulip, 29, at his home in Northumberland on Christmas Day 1997. Mr Raab also blocked the proposed move of former soldier Stephen Wynne, who murdered 27-year-old mother-ofthree Chantel Taylor in 2004 in Birkenhead.
He also reversed plans to move killer Adam Swellings to an open prison. Swellings was the ringleader of a teenage gang that killed 47-year-old father-of-three Garry Newlove in August 2007 in Warrington.
The move to an open prison was also blocked for Abid Siddique, leader of a Derby grooming gang that abused teenage girls.
The changes, designed to restore public confidence in the parole system, include a new power for ministers to block the release of the most dangerous offenders in the interests of public safety.
More Parole Board members will come from policing backgrounds and the board will be required to consider submissions from victims when deciding whether to release a prisoner.
Victims will also be given the chance to attend hearings and ask questions.