The decision to put the early release scheme for prisoners on hold has been greeted warmly by the Victims Commissioner for England and Wales.
This was one of the first announcements made by new Prime Minister Andy Burnham. It has been put on hold while further investigations are done into the possible impacts on the lives of victims. Now Victims Commissioner Claire Waxman OBE has stated this was the correct step. She pointed out important measures for protecting victims of crimes such as domestic abuse have not been implemented in full yet.
For this reason, it is also likely to be welcomed by legal professionals working in that field. Any domestic violence solicitor in North Wales or England would have been alarmed at the plans, given that some of those scheduled for release were abusers.
Waxman had made several attempts to get ministers to listen to her concerns. Her argument was that mitigating the pressures on prison capacity cannot come at the cost of the safety of victims. She also argued this would risk damaging the faith of the public in the system.
Among the steps that need to be taken to safeguard victims are arranging for offenders to be supervised, and for assessments of their ongoing risk level to be conducted. Burnham has now clarified that the scheme will not move forward until a comprehensive review has been carried out.
At Bennett Smith Solicitors, we handle sensitive cases involving domestic abuse with a focus on client care. Call now to talk to our solicitors in Llandudno.
