Prisoners' Release: Females

(asked on 10th June 2020) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women in prison have (a) been identified as eligible for release under the End of Custody Temporary release scheme, (b) applied for release under that scheme and (c) had applications for release under that scheme refused since 31 March 2020.


Answered by
Lucy Frazer Portrait
Lucy Frazer
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
This question was answered on 18th June 2020

The early release schemes were introduced as one element of a package of measures to create headroom to help contain the spread of the virus in prisons, alongside the creation of temporary accommodation and expediting of remand cases. This has enabled us to compartmentalise prisons to isolate the sick, shield the vulnerable and quarantine new arrivals. These measures have helped to contain the spread of the virus and limit deaths significantly, compared to initial estimates.

To be eligible, women had to be serving prisoners who were not subject to recall who should only be released if they do not present a level of risk of harm, reoffending, failure to return or other significant challenge that cannot reasonably be managed in the community.

As of 12 June, the overall number of women prisoners who were eligible under the Special Purpose Licence scheme (SPL) and wanted to be considered was 44, of which 23 have been released so far. The relevant processes are live and underway, with Governors/Directors considering eligible women for temporary release on a rolling basis, and releases taking place as soon as it is safe to do so once suitable accommodation and healthcare pathways have been identified.

The number of women in custody who asked to be considered for the End of Custody Temporary Release scheme (ECTR) is 236, from which there have been 6 releases so far, as of 12 June. Risk and suitability are assessed after application to determine who is eligible; this involves assessments by the prison establishment, probation and police colleagues. All those deemed as suitable for ECTR release following these checks are released within a week, unless there is no appropriate accommodation available, or if they decide they no longer wish to proceed with their application. In some cases, it may be possible that they are released via the Home Detention Curfew scheme or on their conditional or automatic release date, prior to the ECTR process concluding.

For those women released under SPL who are pregnant or had their babies with them in custody, Approved Premises would not be an appropriate release plan, as the Approved Premises estate cannot accommodate children. Data is not held on the number of women considered under ECTR, and who have been unable to be released due to a lack of an Approved Premises place.

Reticulating Splines