Eight in ten prison and probation staff disapprove of the government’s decision to release prisoners early, according to a recently-published survey. Many respondents felt the scheme was managed chaotically, with fears that the public may consequently be ‘at risk of serious harm’.

80% of staff expressed dissatisfaction with the early release schemes introduced by the previous Conservative government – as well as the SDS40 scheme brought in by the current Labour Government. A similar percentage of staff reported increased work-related stress since their introductions.

Respondents complained of a lack of lead-in time to safely implement releases – leading to errors, lack of oversight regarding who was being freed early and prison leavers often not tagged or monitored. 

40% of those surveyed said that they wanted to scrap early release measures altogether.

For more information, click here.