4,000 prisoners to be released to halt spread
UP TO 4,000 prisoners in England and Wales will be tagged and released in a bid to stop the prison system being gripped by the coronavirus.
Inmates who are within two months of their release date will be temporarily set free.
Prisoners often share cells and it was feared that unless action was taken thousands of people could be infected. Already, 88 prisoners and 15 staff have tested positive for Covid-19 and around one in four prison staff is absent or self-isolating.
No prisoners convicted of violent or sexual crimes – or anyone deemed a danger to national security or children – will take part in the scheme. And those who already show symptoms of coronavirus will not be allowed back into the community.
Those who leave will wear GPS tags and must stay at home. They will not be let out if they do not have somewhere suitable to live.
Nobody who is judged to pose a domestic violence or stalking threat will be allowed out.
The Government insists that “public protection is paramount”.
No one convicted for coughing at emergency workers or stealing personal protective equipment will be allowed to take part in the scheme.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice is looking for publicly owned sites that could be used to house inmates so they are not crowded together in prisons.
Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said: “This Government is committed to ensuring that justice is served to those who break the law. But this is an unprecedented situation because if coronavirus takes hold in our prisons, the NHS could be overwhelmed.
“All prisoners will face a tough risk assessment and must comply with strict conditions, including a tag, while they are closely monitored. Those that do not will be recalled to prison.”
Mr Buckland has also granted temporary release to pregnant women in custody.
Family visits to prisons have already been cancelled and as many prisoners as possible will be placed in single-person cells.
This comes on the heels of a public health warning that prisons are a “unique environment” where the virus could put a significant strain on NHS services.
Legislation to allow the prisoners out on licence will be laid tomorrow.the MOJ says it puts the UK in line with France – where 5,000 prisoners have been released – the US, Australia, Germany, and Canada.
Northern Ireland is to release 200 of its 1,500 prisoners and Scotland has similar plans.
‘If virus takes hold in prisons lives are at risk’