The early release of prisoners across the country has been widely reported in the media over recent weeks and is a huge topic of concern for many. We wanted to reach out and tell you what the early release scheme means for Switchback and the young men we support.
Prison context:
In Autumn 2023, the prison population reached 87,453, 99% of safe capacity, marking an unprecedented level of overcrowding – to the point where people had to stay in police stations and court cells because prisons were too full. In response to this, the former Government introduced an Early Release Scheme, allowing some people in prison to be released early to relieve overcrowding.
In July, the Early Release Scheme was replaced with SDS40 (Standard Determinate Sentence 40), an expanded version of the Early Release Scheme which intends to solve the short-term capacity crisis.
Under the SDS40, people on standard determinate sentences due for release (with exceptions relating to cases of violence against women, sexual and other violent offences), who would have previously served 50% of their sentence in prison, will now serve 40%. Due to a calculation of eligible prisoners nearing the end of their sentence, a government impact assessment estimated that around 5,500 prisoners would be released during September and October 2024. SDS40 will then continue releasing eligible prisoners serving 40% of their sentences, with a planned review set at 18 months.
So far, we know that 1,750 eligible prisoners were released in September, a lower than anticipated number for the first tranche. This should create some capacity across the prison estate but the long-term effect this will have on the prison population is unclear.
Switchback’s main concern is the level of support these prison-leavers will receive on their release date that will enable them to thrive in the community. We know the barriers that prison-leavers face to succeed are already high and without a clear plan for the future, no accommodation or the right support in place, this could set a lot of people up to fail and reoffend.
What we’ve seen so far:
- Higher demand on Switchback Mentors due to greater need
- Risk of homelessness at an all-time high – whilst temporary housing is often offered, this only lasts 84 days
- Overstretched services – Probation and housing services working with much larger numbers
- Decision made to limit supervision with lower risk offenders
What we’re doing:
- We are working very closely with Probation to take referrals and support as many people as possible
- We have increased our presence in the prisons we work in to reach more young men on the wings and provide 1:1 support and advocacy
- We are working with our prison partners to ensure young men leaving prison hear about our work and have included our information in resettlement packs so they can self-refer
As the latest policy has only just kicked in, it’s too soon for us to report on how this affects the young men we work with long-term, but what we can tell you is that we have received referrals from those being released under SDS40 and that our Switchback Mentors are working incredibly hard to manage increasing caseloads to reach those who need our support the most.
Alongside our front-line work we know that, if we as a society want to see these people thrive upon release, we must advocate for the removal of some of the most basic barriers to their success and for people to receive tailored resettlement support. In the last few weeks, we’ve been trying to spread a positive message about release, and share with a wider public what we think will help to move the conversation towards supporting prison leavers to flourish when they return to the community. We have appeared on BBC News Live (twice), CityAM, The Times and Sunday Times, BBC Radio 4, BBC News Politics Live, Channel 5, LBC and even Greatest Hits Radio to talk to different audiences – and more.
Please also keep an eye on us over the next few weeks for more media.
If you would like to talk to us more about this or the work that we are doing, please do get in touch: info@switchback.org.uk – We will of course keep you informed and will update you as soon as we have more news on this.
In the meantime, we just wanted to say a huge thank you to YOU. Your ongoing belief in our work and the young men we support allows us to stay nimble in turbulent times and ensure we reach those who need our help the most.
