The parents of Sarah Everard, who was was abducted, raped and murdered in 2021, are among bereaved families to criticise plans to let prisoners out of jail earlier for good behaviour
Sarah Everard’s parents are among bereaved families to criticise plans to let prisoners out of jail earlier for good behaviour.
They said they were “deeply disappointed” David Gauke, the former Tory Justice Secretary who led the major review of sentencing, did not have time to meet with them. “There isn’t any excuse for letting the worst offenders get out of prison even earlier,” they said.
Jeremy and Susan Everard questioned rewarding inmates for good behaviour, such as working or study, when these are things “the law abiding majority have to do every day anyway”. They called on MPs to push back on any measures that “weaken the punishment of the worst offenders”.
The plans have been recommended in a huge sentencing review which calls for a series of politically difficult decisions in the biggest shake-up of sentencing in more than 30 years.
It comes amid a huge overcrowding crisis in jails forced the Government to have to take emergency measures including releasing prisoners early to avoid the justice system grinding to a total halt.
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Mr Gauke this morning told the BBC he doesn’t think anybody ” wants to see a repeat” of the early release scheme, “because if you run out of prison places, then really you are putting the whole criminal justice system at risk”. He said urgent action needing to be taken in reshaping how prisoners are punished.
“We can pretend there will be prison spaces or that there’s an easy way of finding prison spaces but the reality is that we’re on course at the moment for more emergency releases,” he said.
“The plan that we’re setting out today is a way to avoid that, to ensure that we do that in a strategic, planned and organised way which gives the authorities the chance to prepare, gives the chance for offenders to prepare and also doesn’t spring a surprise on victims.”
The Government welcomed the review’s final report but has already rejected a recommendation to allow the most dangerous criminals to earn an earlier release date at halfway through their sentence, instead of two-thirds of the way through. The recommendation has been highly criticised by bereaved families.
A key system change backed by Mr Gauke is for an “earned progression” model, inspired by prisons in Texas, to be introduced. It would see inmates on standard sentences of up to four years released after serving a third of their time inside if they behave well. They would then be strictly supervised in the community for the second third, before a final third stage of no active supervision but recall conditions still being in place.
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Offenders serving a standard sentence of more than four years would move to the community supervision stage after serving 50% of their time inside, or later if they misbehave. They would also remain under active supervision until 80% of their sentence is complete.
The Everard parents, whose daughter Sarah was abducted, raped and murdered by Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens in 2021, have joined forces in a new campaign group, Justice for Victims. The group also includes Ayse Hussein, whose cousin Jan Mustafa was murdered by a serial sex offender and Katie Brett, whose 16-year-old sister Sasha was raped and stabbed to death.
Paula Hudgell OBE, who campaigns on behalf of her adopted son Tony who had his legs amputated as a result of child cruelty by his birth parents, and Becky and Glen Youens, whose four-year-old daughter Violet Grace was killed by a dangerous driver who spent barely more time in prison than their daughter was alive.
Speaking about the sentencing review, the group said: “Given the government described this as a landmark review it was a huge opportunity to really understand what victims and their families want from sentencing.
“We were deeply disappointed that Mr Gauke decided he didn’t have time to meet with our group and failed to answer basic questions about how the views of victims and their families were being taken into account.
“Sadly it doesn’t seem a serious effort has been made to understand what victims and families want when they should be at the heart of sentencing policy. What we wanted to see was a proper recognition of the enormous impact the most serious crime has on victims and their families and to see that suitable punishment reflects that.”
Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales Baroness Newlove said the sentencing review was an “important milestone”. But she said: “The pace of change feels urgent, as if we are racing against the clock. I appreciate the reasons for urgency, but this speed exacerbates my reservations.
“The reforms set out in the Review place great emphasis on community and licence supervision, as more offenders are diverted from custodial sentences. My overriding concern is whether the already stretched probation service can withstand this additional pressure.”
She added: “The review also recommends early release for prisoners who behave in prison. Compliance with prison regimes is important, but other important factors must also be taken into account, such as remorse, and evidence of a reduction in risk.
“Victims tell me they want a criminal justice system where public safety is the first priority, criminals serve the sentence handed down by the courts, community sentences are managed effectively, and every effort is made to reduce re-offending. It is so important this review draws a line in the sand and delivers on all of these priorities so that all victims get the justice they deserve.”
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