Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that perpetrators in line for early release who have (a) history of and (b) prior convictions for domestic violence do not reoffend.

The Government inherited a justice system on the brink of collapse and due to acute prison capacity pressure, the Government had no option but to introduce a change that will allow prisoners serving an eligible standard determinate sentence (SDS) to be released after serving 40% rather than 50% of that sentence in custody. Certain offences have been excluded from this change. They include serious violent offences with a sentence of four years or more, specified offences linked to domestic abuse irrespective of sentence length (including stalking, coercive or controlling behaviour, and non-fatal strangulation).

The policy is being implemented in two tranches to safely manage releases. All offenders released will be subject to robust licence conditions and risk management plans, monitored by the probation service. There are clear expectations in place for probation staff managing cases where there is evidence of domestic abuse. While on licence they will be subject to conditions including those deemed necessary to protect the public, such as exclusion zones, location monitoring, residence at a specified place or disclosing details of any new relationship. Offenders must comply with these conditions and attend supervision. If they fail to comply, they can be recalled to continue serving their sentence in prison.