The government has initiated a contingency plan to manage the strain on the prison system, following a surge in sentences related to recent riots.
Operation Early Dawn, a pre-existing emergency strategy, has been triggered to address the issue of overcrowded prisons. Under this plan, defendants awaiting court appearances may be held in police custody for extended periods until space becomes available in prisons. This could lead to court hearings being delayed or adjourned at short notice.
The decision comes as prosecutors expedite cases against individuals involved in recent riots across the UK. By last Monday, 927 people had been arrested, with 466 charged. Over 100 individuals have already been sentenced.
Mark Fairhurst, the national chairman of the Prison Officers’ Association, highlighted the immense pressure on the prison system, particularly in the North East and North West, noting that last week saw an unprecedented influx of new prisoners. Sophie Francis-Cansfield, Head of Policy at Women’s Aid, said:
“Today, the government have re-activated ‘Operation Early Dawn’, which will see the early release of some prisoners to ease overcrowding. While the issue of overcrowding in prisons is a real and serious one, Women’s Aid has repeatedly cautioned that the early release of very dangerous perpetrators could have devastating consequences for the women and children who have experienced abuse, as they are starting to rebuild their lives away from fear and harm.
The government have announced that prisoners convicted of sexual offences and some domestic abuse offences, including coercive control, will be exempt from the scheme, but we know that the scale of domestic abuse in this country is much larger than the convictions suggest. Countless women choose not to report their experiences to police or find that when they do the charges are eventually dropped before a conviction is made. Many perpetrators also inevitably slip through the net or are convicted of another crime that doesn’t reflect or signal that abuse has been inflicted, and this scheme will only serve to amplify this.
The nature of domestic abuse means that it doesn’t just end when a perpetrator is caught and sent to prison. Perpetrators pose a lifelong threat to survivors, meaning that robust supervision is needed when they are released after serving their sentences. Our frontline members tell us that women are terrified at the prospect of these men being released early and posing a very real threat to their lives once again.
The scheme also risks putting additional financial pressure on already underfunded specialist violence against women and girls (VAWG) services – as survivors, who may have felt safe for years prior to this scheme, are forced to reach out to their local service for support or to seek refuge.
We must see appropriate safeguarding in place, if this scheme is to be rolled out safely. This includes providing domestic abuse training to those working in probation services, an uplift in financial support to specialist women’s VAWG services – who are already facing additional strain through the riots and terrorism we have witnessed on our streets recently – will face additional strain, and partnerships with specialist organisations to ensure women and children aren’t put in danger.
The heinous attacks we have seen taking place over the last few weeks have made it clear that violence against women and girls is an epidemic plaguing this country, and the release of dangerous perpetrators will not mitigate the abuse that women and girls experience on a daily basis.”
Law Society of England and Wales president Nick Emmerson, said:
“The emergency in our prisons illustrates the consequences of the long-term neglect of the criminal justice system.
The prisons crisis is just one of many connected problems in the criminal justice system following decades of underfunding and cuts. We have seen growing backlogs in the Magistrates and Crown Courts, a shortage of lawyers, judges and court staff and a crumbling court estate. Probation services are still on their knees.
Government is having to take difficult steps to deal with the crisis it inherited, such as reactivating Operation Early Dawn, which will impact victims, defendants and those working in the system including solicitors.
In the longer-term, sustained investment is needed across the criminal justice system in order to avoid it collapsing completely.”
