Speaking in Parliament, James Wild MP challenged the Justice Minister on the government’s plans to limit the time that offenders recalled to prison for committing another offence or breaching their licence conditions to only 28 days.
This would include serious offenders, including domestic abusers who could serve a much shorter period than their sentence and fails to considers the interests of victims or the importance of maintaining public confidence in the justice system.
He highlighted a range of practical alternatives that could have been pursued to relieve prison capacity pressures without compromising justice — including increasing court sitting days, repurposing unused buildings, deporting foreign offenders, or using temporary accommodation.
With increasing concern that current policies risk prioritising short-term convenience over long-term public confidence, James reaffirmed his view that offenders should serve the sentences handed down by the courts and that victims must remain at the centre of the justice system.
James Wild MP said:
“The Justice Secretary could have chosen to deport more of the thousands of offenders in our jails, she could have maxed out court sitting days, she could have repurposed buildings, or procured temporary facilities to hold offenders—why has she instead chosen to release serious offenders, including domestic abusers, free from jail earlier instead with no consideration for the victims?”
In response, the Under Secretary of State for Justice, Sir Nicolas Deakin MP, said:
“This is about people that have already served their sentence in prison and are out and they are out in the community, and if they breach a condition of their licence, they are returned to prison. He might as well ask the question of why the government that he supported didn’t take any of the measures that he’s spelled out. We are the government that’s inherited the mess that his government left us and we are the government that’s taking the decisions to ensure that the unconscionable threat of having a prison system that is not able to lock up dangerous people is addressed.”
