Prisoners' Release: Coronavirus

(asked on 6th July 2020) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what (a) financial and (b) social support the Government is providing to prisoners who are being released from prison during the covid-19 outbreak.


Answered by
Lucy Frazer Portrait
Lucy Frazer
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
This question was answered on 14th July 2020

It is vital for prison leavers to access those services that would meet their individual needs during the pandemic.

The financial support given by HMPPS to prison leavers comprises the following elements:

  • A Discharge Grant (the Grant) of £46, which is paid directly to eligible prisoners on release. An eligible prisoner is essentially one who is sentenced and serves more than 14 days in custody;
  • A Discretionary Payment (DP) of up to £50 that Governors may pay a genuine accommodation provider to help the individual secure a release address; and
  • A travel warrant or fares paid upon release to their destination within the UK (including the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or the Republic of Ireland), which are issued regardless of the prisoner’s eligibility for a Grant.

The Grant, however, is entirely separate from the subsistence grant, which is payable to those who are eligible for release under the End of Custody Temporary Release (ECTR) scheme only. The purpose of these grants is to help prison leavers on release, so that they are supported while accessing other legal sources of income such as applying for benefits.

The higher rate of the Subsistence Grant is set at £80 to reflect the more limited amount of time prisoners have had to prepare for their release under the ECTR scheme.

We have invested an additional £22m per annum over the remaining life of the CRC contracts to deliver an enhanced Through the Gate resettlement service to people leaving prison to prepare them for release. The enhanced service includes the requirement that CRCs complete specific, tailored, tasks to help prisoners to secure and maintain settled accommodation, gain employment and manage debt and their financial affairs. During the Covid period most of this support is being provided remotely after CRCs invested in greater use of mobile technology to maintain levels of contact with offenders in the community in a safe and efficient manner. After a prison sentence, service users are supervised and supported by Probation Officers in the Community.

A further £8.5m has been secured to support individuals at risk of homelessness on their release from prison for up to eight weeks of targeted support, together with the necessary help required to ensure individuals move on into permanent accommodation. This scheme was originally due to run until 26th June; however, we have recently undertaken our first review and, following this, have extended the scheme until 31 July. This is an exceptional measure reflecting the current challenges.

Reticulating Splines