Domestic abusers could be released on the streets next week, former Justice Secretary Alex Chalk tells LBC
5 September 2024, 11:55 | Updated: 5 September 2024, 14:20
Domestic abusers could be released on the streets as early as next week, the former Justice Secretary has told LBC.
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Alex Chalk accused ministers of not being "frank with the British people" about what releasing people early from prison would mean.
From next week, prisoners are expected to be released after serving just forty per cent of their sentences - in a bid to free up spaces.
The Ministry of Justice think the move will free up around 2,500 places next week, with another 2,500 in October.
Keir Starmer's said the situation was "far worse" in the Ministry of Justice and prison estate than he thought it would be.
Speaking to Nick Ferrari at Breakfast this morning, the former Justice Secretary, Alex Chalk, said that releasing people any earlier would "make a mockery of justice".
And he warned the PM not to make cuts to the Department at the upcoming budget.
He also suggested that dangerous people may be being let out on the streets next week when the rules are relaxed
Mr Chalk told Nick: "I think 20 per cent would be a complete affront to the rule of law and it would make a mockery of justice.
"I was always very frank, I think some ways, some people said too frank, that we would have to create capacity in the system for a temporary period of time. That's not my beef.
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"My beef is, about doing it in a way which is honest and straightforward.
"For example, it's not right to say that all domestic violence offenders are being excluded from this, as the government is saying, it's not true. You've got to be frank with the British people.
"The truth is, some guy who thumps his partner in an appalling common assault, ABH or GBH... if he gets less than four years, he could be out in less than fifty percent, and that's a real concern."
But he did back the new Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, in her push to create more capacity in the estate.
Alex Chalk on the slow pace of inquiries in the UK
He added: "But what's not correct is to claim that this is down to not building enough prison places... it's nothing to do with that. The question is, are you serious about getting through the backlog.
"I fear this government is going to cut funding for the Ministry of Justice, that means less funding for probation services, less funding for sitting days, that is what this government must avoid."
Nick grilled Mr Chalk on reports that he was pushing the PM to act in the final few months Rishi Sunak was in Downing Street - but the PM dragged his feet over bringing forward new laws.
Ministers then had announced they would scrap short sentences of under a year in a bid to try and stop as many people going into the prisons system.
Critics said it was a soft touch approach and would let lower-level criminals off the hook.
Mr Chalk said the PM was worried about losing a vote on the matter.
He told LBC: "We had to get a vote through parliament. It was the end of a season... it was extremely difficult time, he had to be satisfied he was going to get that through when there were noises off.
"The pressures were already there, my view was, you have got to create some headroom in the system. Freeing up headroom, I thought was important. You have to reduce the vulnerability to shocks, you need capacity in the system. That was the point I was at pains to make."
Watch Again: Nick Ferrari is joined by Former Justice Secretary Alex Chalk | 05/09/24
It comes after the chief inspector of prisons, Charlie Taylor, warned that violent criminals who pose a "high risk of harm" could be released early next week.
He told The Telegraph that there was a danger former criminals may be let out to offend again.
The biggest risk would be a released offender “slipping through the cracks” and going on to commit a serious crime because of rushed work.
Operation Early Dawn was triggered last week by officials who were worried about capacity being breached in the prisons and justice system.
It meant that people could be held in jail cells if there wasn't enough room, and officials were monitoring the movement of prisoners around the estate especially closely.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "The new Government inherited a justice system in crisis, with prisons on the point of collapse. It has been forced to introduce an early release programme to stop a crisis that would have overwhelmed the criminal justice system, meaning we would no longer be able to lock up dangerous criminals and protect the public.
"This early release programme excludes sentences for serious violent and a range of domestic-abuse related offences from these changes.
"No one is eligible for the Home Detention Curfew Scheme unless they have been risk-assessed and have six months or less left before their conditional release date."
