Women’s Aid comment on the release of over 1,000 more prisoners as part of the Government’s plans to ease overcrowding

Farah Nazeer, Chief Executive of Women’s Aid, said:  

“Today, a second wave of prisoners are being released as part of the Early Release Scheme. While we recognise the need for action to address the serious issue of overcrowding in prisons, Women’s Aid is once again warning about the consequences this will have for survivors of domestic abuse and other forms of violence against women and girls.  

After the first wave of releases last month, we’ve seen our long-standing concerns come to fruition. Specialist domestic abuse services, who have faced decades of chronic underfunding, are already struggling with capacity as more survivors are turning to them for wellbeing and advocacy support following the early release of perpetrators. Understandably, many survivors find themselves needing more mental health support, as they struggle with the idea of their perpetrator being let out early. This is resulting in huge waiting lists for local mental health services and will likely have a long-term impact on everyone who needs to access this support, not just survivors of domestic abuse.  

To make matters worse, our members have told us that they are not being fully informed on how this scheme will affect them and the individuals using their services. This means they are left in limbo, unable to put safeguarding plans in place in advance. Specialist domestic abuse services, as experts and advocates for survivors, should be at the core of decision-making processes and planning, alongside the parole boards and probation services, but many are finding that their concerns aren’t being taken seriously. 

In discussions with our members about the impact of the scheme, some have expressed that they believe there will be longer-term impacts which are not yet felt. As time from release increases, it is highly likely that perpetrators will become more comfortable, and with less interventions from probation services, that the risk to survivors will increase.  

The government must listen to our continued warnings and take action to mitigate the very real risk that this scheme is posing to the physical and mental safety of survivors. Easing prison overcrowding should not come at the price of survivors safety, or even their life.”