Tomorrow 22nd October will see the release of
approximately 1100 prisoners at the 40% stage of their sentence.
The first tranche of SDS40 releases placed a huge amount of
additional work on Probation staff across England and Wales. This
continues as even more work has been involved in preparing for
the second tranche of releases. As Napo feared would be the case,
our members have reported that a significant number of those
released so far have been already been recalled to custody.
We call on HMPPS to be clear to the public about the results of
the first tranche of the SDS40 scheme, for instance how many
people have been recalled or committed serious further
offences. It is important that this is monitored and reported on
throughout the lifetime of this scheme, for all those released
under these provisions.
SDS40 is less flawed than the End of Custody Supervised Licence
(ECSL) scheme it replaced but not without serious issues,
and both fundamentally involve the trading off of the
need to reduce the prison population with public safety. Napo are
clear that these schemes are desperate, insufficient
and temporary patches. The most effective, long-term
solution to prison overcrowding is a significant, fully
funded expansion of the use of community sentences, with a public
Probation Service at it's heart (and no place for private
profit), as the main outcome of the Government's
planned sentencing review.
However, Napo members are reporting that they are still feeling
the strain of the first tranche of releases in September, with
relatively high rates of recall being reported as a direct result
of some people left homeless for days or weeks post-release
because of a lack of housing.
The second tranche of SDS 40 will see some prisoners serving
sentences of five years or more released a minimum of six months
early. This means a minimum six month's additional supervision on
the already excessive workloads of Probation staff.
Ian Lawrence General Secretary said: “Our members are at breaking
point trying to cope with the pressures of SDS 40 on top of the
workloads crisis in Probation caused by uncompetitive pay and
thousands of unfilled vacancies across all regions of the
Probation Service.”
Napo believes that SDS 40 is a short-term fix which will
inevitably cause more problems in the long run. The union is
calling for the government to undertake a holistic review of its
sentencing policy which currently sees too many people remanded
into custody with sentences getting longer and longer.
The union is also demanding an urgent care package for the
probation service which includes additional funding that can
drive meaningful recruitment and retention of staff.
Napo is also campaigning for probation to be taken out of the
civil service and embedded in the local community it
serves. This is vital for the long-term survival of probation
which is currently being suffocated by centrally driven
bureaucracy within HMPPS.
