Coronavirus: PAS Calls for the Release of Prisoners

In response to the current situation, in which the Prison Officers Association has compared conditions in England’s prisons to those found on cruise ships, and the Prison Governors’ Association has said cases of Covid-19 (coronavirus) are inevitable, PAS is calling on the government to assist in slowing down the crisis by releasing the following groups of prisoners:

1. Everybody aged over 75, no matter what their conviction.

2. Those over 50 convicted of non-violent/sex crimes.

3. People held under immigration detention powers, whether in prison or detention centres.

4. All those who have under a year of their sentence left to serve.

5. All prisoners with physical disabilities.

6. People awaiting extradition.

7. IPP prisoners whose tariffs have expired.

These measures will have no discernible effect on the crime rate and will allow prisons to implement strategies for safely managing and caring for those high risk prisoners who remain incarcerated.