Early prison release for up to 4,000
Inmates will be set free amid warnings virus outbreak within jails could overwhelm NHS
UP TO 4,000 prisoners are to be released early because of fears a coronavirus outbreak in jails could swamp stretched local hospitals and risk lives.
After weeks of resisting demands for such a move, Robert Buckland, the Justice Secretary, said yesterday inmates jailed for “low-level” offences such as theft and drug possession and due for release within the next two months would be let out in the next fortnight.
It comes two days after two leading prison charities warned that a failure to act could lead to loss of life on an “unprecedented scale”.
About 8,700 prison officers – a quarter of the total – are now absent, either self-isolating with symptoms or ill, while prisoners are locked in their cells for up to 23 hours a day with no visits.
It is thought that some 1,200 inmates who have symptoms but have yet to be tested are isolating either in a single cell, or with another inmate with symptoms. Some 88 have tested positive for coronavirus across 30 jails and three have died.
All those to be released early are being assessed to minimise risk to public safety. They will be excluded from the programme if they have been convicted of violent or sexual offences, pose a threat to national security or to children, or are serving a sentence for a coronavirus-related offence.
They will be released under emergency powers through ROTL – Release on Temporary Licence. All will be subject to electronic tagging and can be recalled to prison for any breaches of their licence.
The Ministry of Justice had not wanted to release prisoners early and had instead favoured transferring them to other accommodation such as Army barracks, immigration detention centres and police and court custody.
But advisers warned ministers had little option but to go ahead with releases because of the risk that an outbreak in a prison could overwhelm a local hospital.
Mr Buckland said yesterday: “This Government is committed to ensuring 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 and more lives put at risk.’
Prisoners will be released in stages over the next two weeks but only if they do not have symptoms of coronavirus and if there is housing and health support in place.
Last week, the Howard League for Penal Reform, and Prison Reform Trust both wrote to Mr Buckland calling for early release of prisoners who were medically vulnerable or presented a low risk to the public.
The two charities warned that as the virus took hold, prisoners who were otherwise safe to release faced the risk of becoming critically ill in an environment not equipped to treat them.
“This will put not only their lives at risk, but also those of the prison staff trying to look after them,” the charities warned. The window of opportunity to save lives is closing, and the consequences of further delay will be felt far beyond prison walls. As large shared spaces, prisons act as “epidemiological pumps”, which can drive the spread of disease among the wider community.
“Explosive coronavirus outbreaks within large shared spaces have acted as preludes to wider transmission among the general population.”
Two staff members at north London’s Pentonville Prison have died after suffering Covid-19 symptoms, the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) said.
Bovil Peter and Patrick Beckford were both support staff workers, and were believed to be aged in their 60s. Mark Fairhurst, the POA national chairman, said: “My thoughts and prayers are with everybody involved with these tragic deaths – two at the same prison is very concerning.”
Mr Fairhurst said he did not know if either of the men had any underlying health conditions. He added of Mr Peter’s death: “I just want to highlight the fact that this [Covid-19]puts us all at risk. He will be sadly missed by all his colleagues.”