4,000 sex offenders sent back to jail
NEARLY 4,000 sex offenders released by the Parole Board have gone back to prison in the past five years after breaching the terms of their licence.
The number of sex offenders recalled to prison rose by a third from 697 to 934 between 2012 and 2016 amid mounting concern that sex offender treatment programmes are not working.
It comes after the scandal surrounding John Worboys, the black cab rapist, whom the Parole Board decided was fit for release less than nine years into his sentence. Earlier this year David Gauke, the Justice Secretary, decided not to appeal against that decision, leaving Worboys’ victims to fund their own, successful, legal action to stop his release.
Priti Patel, a Tory MP and former Cabinet minister, said: “With so many sex offenders being returned to prison the public will want to know why they are being released in the first place.
“Prison is the best place for these offenders who are a risk to the public and to the victims they have abused. The Parole Board must be questioned over the decisions they have made.”
The Ministry of Justice has said it does not hold information about how many sex offenders were still at large despite breaching the terms of their licences. Ms Patel said: “There are other sex offenders out there who have breached their licence but not been recalled and it is deeply concerning that records are not being kept.”
The prison service is struggling to cope with the rising number of sex offenders. The number of people convicted for sex offences has risen by a third from 5,728 in 2012 to 7,511 last year.
Last year a report by the Ministry of Justice found that paedophiles and rapists who had been through treatment programmes in prison were more likely to commit sex offences.
Philip Lee, a justice minister, is con- sidering expanding the use of “chemical castration” in a bid to reduce reoffending rates. Up to 1,500 convicted sex offenders could be offered the medication, which reduces libido.
Sex offenders are monitored and managed in the community by the police, local authorities, the NHS, and the Prison Service depending on the level of risk they pose. Officials in 2014 introduced the power to send sex offenders back to prison if a cross-examination on lie detectors triggered concerns. Since the machines have been introduced, the MoJ has revealed that 166 sex offenders who took polygraph tests have been returned to prison.
Those released on licence must follow conditions, which include good behaviour and not reoffending, but can also have further stipulations such as wearing a tag or not using the internet. Those on life sentences are liable for recall for the rest of their lives.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “Under this Government more sex offenders are being convicted and going to prison, and spending longer there.
“This means there are more offenders released who are subject to licence conditions and therefore liable to be recalled. Public protection is our highest priority and anyone caught breaching their licence faces being recalled to prison.”