Birmingham Yardley MP Jess Phillips has issued a strong call to the government, urging them to exempt child rapists from the early release prison scheme. Speaking during a parliamentary session on June 29, the former safeguarding minister argued that there should be more exemptions within the release scheme, particularly for those convicted of child rape.
Details of the Early Release Scheme
From September, new laws will allow some prisoners to be released after serving just one-third of their sentence. More serious criminals, including those convicted of manslaughter, rape, and other sexual offences, will be released after serving half of their sentence. This could result in over 5,000 criminals being freed early.
Phillips' Parliamentary Intervention
As Conservative shadow minister Kieran Mullan questioned Justice Minister Jake Richards on the early release of rapists and child groomers, Phillips interjected. She acknowledged that few rapists went to prison under the previous administration and praised the current government for the increase in convictions, especially for child rapists. However, she stressed her belief that more exemptions are needed, stating, "Child rapist seems to be an area that we should potentially all be looking to work together for, if the numbers allow."
Phillips specifically raised concerns about risk assessments conducted before release. She said, "My experience of risk assessment in these cases is not great, does not take account of the victim, does not take account of public safety more broadly. So can we have some assurances there has been a change to the regime from the previous administration of risk assessments that will be done on release of any prisoner to make sure we are actually safe in public?"
Government Response
In response, Justice Minister Jake Richards commended Phillips' previous work and confirmed he had spoken to Lord Timpson about the matter, promising to return with "specific measures." He added, "She is also right to raise this issue of community safety. That is why we have invested £700 million into the probation system—the biggest investment for a generation. We have recruited more probation officers than ever before, and for the first time in decades, the caseload for the average probation officer is decreasing, unlike the record highs under the Conservatives."
